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The differences between research support specialists and support specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a research support specialist, becoming a support specialist takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a research support specialist has an average salary of $47,994, which is higher than the $40,782 average annual salary of a support specialist.
The top three skills for a research support specialist include research support, data collection and research projects. The most important skills for a support specialist are customer service, patients, and mental health.
| Research Support Specialist | Support Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $47,994 | $40,782 |
| Hourly rate | $23.07 | $19.61 |
| Growth rate | 19% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 123,353 | 125,740 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Average age | 37 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 2 |
A research support specialist is primarily in charge of performing administrative support and analytical tasks. Their responsibilities typically revolve around performing extensive research and analysis to gather necessary data, preparing and processing documentation on behalf of researchers, liaising with internal or external parties, troubleshooting problems, and maintaining records of all transactions. There are also instances when one must conduct studies, prepare manuscripts, develop strategies to optimize operations, and participate in implementing new research methods, all while adhering to the company or institution's policies and regulations.
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.
Research support specialists and support specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Research Support Specialist | Support Specialist | |
| Average salary | $47,994 | $40,782 |
| Salary range | Between $32,000 And $70,000 | Between $25,000 And $64,000 |
| Highest paying City | Baltimore, MD | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | New York |
| Best paying company | Sandia National Labs | Microsoft |
| Best paying industry | Education | Technology |
There are a few differences between a research support specialist and a support specialist in terms of educational background:
| Research Support Specialist | Support Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between research support specialists' and support specialists' demographics:
| Research Support Specialist | Support Specialist | |
| Average age | 37 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 38.5% Female, 61.5% | Male, 38.4% Female, 61.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 5.2% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 12.3% Asian, 12.4% White, 65.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | 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 | 10% | 11% |