Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between program support technicians and program support assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a program support technician, becoming a program support assistant takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a program support assistant has an average salary of $41,107, which is higher than the $36,653 average annual salary of a program support technician.
The top three skills for a program support technician include program support, data entry and DMV. The most important skills for a program support assistant are patients, veterans, and program support.
| Program Support Technician | Program Support Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $36,653 | $41,107 |
| Hourly rate | $17.62 | $19.76 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 12% |
| Number of jobs | 160,368 | 163,716 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Average age | 42 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 12 |
Program support technicians require administrative experience and skills in communication, organization, and proficiency with office software to do their best. This career choice demands showcasing support for users by answering their questions, resolving technical issues, and maintaining the network, software, and computer equipment of the respective company.
A program support assistant is responsible for performing administrative functions to ensure a program's smooth operations. Program support assistants organize the necessary documents, create the expense sheet, respond to the clients' inquiries and concerns, negotiate with vendors and suppliers, and conduct data analysis. They also act as a liaison between the clients and the senior planners to resolve issues and address the clients' requests. A program support assistant maintains the accuracy of client information on the database and regularly updates the clients' files as needed.
Program support technicians and program support assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Program Support Technician | Program Support Assistant | |
| Average salary | $36,653 | $41,107 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $52,000 | Between $30,000 And $54,000 |
| Highest paying City | Long Beach, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | Mandiant | New York State Restaurant Association |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Government |
There are a few differences between a program support technician and a program support assistant in terms of educational background:
| Program Support Technician | Program Support Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | California State University - Bakersfield | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between program support technicians' and program support assistants' demographics:
| Program Support Technician | Program Support Assistant | |
| Average age | 42 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 32.2% Female, 67.8% | Male, 27.7% Female, 72.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 14.2% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 13.2% Asian, 9.6% White, 57.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 13.9% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.7% Asian, 6.5% White, 54.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |