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The differences between program support technicians and technical support representatives 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 representative. Additionally, a program support technician has an average salary of $36,653, which is higher than the $34,758 average annual salary of a technical support representative.
The top three skills for a program support technician include program support, data entry and DMV. The most important skills for a technical support representative are customer calls, smartphones, and technical support calls.
| Program Support Technician | Technical Support Representative | |
| Yearly salary | $36,653 | $34,758 |
| Hourly rate | $17.62 | $16.71 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 160,368 | 212,082 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 40% |
| 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.
Technical Support Representatives specialize in customer support through calls or correspondence. Among the primary responsibilities of a Technical Support Representative involves receiving and making calls, address and troubleshoot issues raised by the client, assist when navigating through complicated applications, provide suggestions or recommendations, or elevate the problem to personnel with higher expertise when necessary. Furthermore, a Technical Support Representative must coordinate with supervisors at all times, remain patient and proactive, and as well as maintain and organize records of each handled calls.
Program support technicians and technical support representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Program Support Technician | Technical Support Representative | |
| Average salary | $36,653 | $34,758 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $52,000 | Between $27,000 And $44,000 |
| Highest paying City | Long Beach, CA | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | Maryland |
| Best paying company | Mandiant | HP |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Technology |
There are a few differences between a program support technician and a technical support representative in terms of educational background:
| Program Support Technician | Technical Support Representative | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 40% |
| 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 representatives' demographics:
| Program Support Technician | Technical Support Representative | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 32.2% Female, 67.8% | Male, 61.5% Female, 38.5% |
| 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, 11.4% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.8% Asian, 10.6% White, 56.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |