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The differences between program support specialists and support specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a program support specialist and a support specialist. Additionally, a support specialist has an average salary of $40,782, which is higher than the $39,327 average annual salary of a program support specialist.
The top three skills for a program support specialist include program support, veterans and powerpoint. The most important skills for a support specialist are customer service, patients, and mental health.
| Program Support Specialist | Support Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $39,327 | $40,782 |
| Hourly rate | $18.91 | $19.61 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 169,855 | 125,740 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A program support specialist is responsible for monitoring the overall program aspects of an organization from the conceptualization to the final execution. Program support specialists negotiate contracts and transactions with the suppliers and vendors for resources that meet the funding and budget limitations. They process documents and assist the program staff in coordinating with other organizations for program plans and potential sponsorships. A program support specialist must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in handling the program objectives and ensure client satisfaction.
A support specialist is responsible for assisting technical and administrative support, depending on the business need. Support specialists must have extensive knowledge of the services of the organization they work for to assist customers with their inquiries and resolve complaints efficiently. A support specialist maintains documents of issue resolution, providing recommendations to improve business strategies and procedures. Support specialists must be well-versed on technology systems, perform basic troubleshooting, and secure databases. They should also have impeccable customer service and communication skills to attend with customers' needs and requests.
Program support specialists and support specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Program Support Specialist | Support Specialist | |
| Average salary | $39,327 | $40,782 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $58,000 | Between $25,000 And $64,000 |
| Highest paying City | Urban Honolulu, HI | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | New York |
| Best paying company | Los Alamos National Laboratory | Microsoft |
| Best paying industry | Government | Technology |
There are a few differences between a program support specialist and a support specialist in terms of educational background:
| Program Support Specialist | Support Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between program support specialists' and support specialists' demographics:
| Program Support Specialist | Support Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 24.7% Female, 75.3% | Male, 38.4% Female, 61.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.8% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.0% Asian, 10.5% White, 56.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 10.4% White, 56.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |