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The differences between program support technicians and technical support advisors 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 technician and a technical support advisor. Additionally, a technical support advisor has an average salary of $107,198, 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 technical support advisor are customer service, technical support calls, and troubleshoot.
| Program Support Technician | Technical Support Advisor | |
| Yearly salary | $36,653 | $107,198 |
| Hourly rate | $17.62 | $51.54 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 160,368 | 186,490 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 43% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
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 technical support advisor specializes in assisting customers, mainly through diagnosing and solving issues using their product and service expertise. In most companies, they communicate with clients through calls or correspondence. Through this, they get to identify their needs, answer inquiries, give technical advice, troubleshoot problems, and solve issues and concerns, ensuring efficiency and client satisfaction. Moreover, a technical support advisor works together with the company's internal departments to optimize customer support operations and resolve any issues or vulnerabilities in the current procedures.
Program support technicians and technical support advisors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Program Support Technician | Technical Support Advisor | |
| Average salary | $36,653 | $107,198 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $52,000 | Between $81,000 And $141,000 |
| Highest paying City | Long Beach, CA | Sacramento, CA |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | New York |
| Best paying company | Mandiant | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Technology |
There are a few differences between a program support technician and a technical support advisor in terms of educational background:
| Program Support Technician | Technical Support Advisor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 43% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | California State University - Bakersfield | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between program support technicians' and technical support advisors' demographics:
| Program Support Technician | Technical Support Advisor | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 32.2% Female, 67.8% | Male, 53.6% Female, 46.4% |
| 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, 11.9% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.5% Asian, 10.6% White, 56.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |