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The differences between senior system support specialists and desktop 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 senior system support specialist and a desktop support specialist. Additionally, a senior system support specialist has an average salary of $84,043, which is higher than the $44,962 average annual salary of a desktop support specialist.
The top three skills for a senior system support specialist include SQL, technical support and linux. The most important skills for a desktop support specialist are customer service, desktop support, and troubleshoot.
| Senior System Support Specialist | Desktop Support Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $84,043 | $44,962 |
| Hourly rate | $40.41 | $21.62 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 108,134 | 102,191 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Senior system support specialists and desktop support specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior System Support Specialist | Desktop Support Specialist | |
| Average salary | $84,043 | $44,962 |
| Salary range | Between $59,000 And $119,000 | Between $33,000 And $59,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Antonio, TX | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | California | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Valero Energy | Cornerstone Research |
| Best paying industry | Pharmaceutical | Finance |
There are a few differences between a senior system support specialist and a desktop support specialist in terms of educational background:
| Senior System Support Specialist | Desktop Support Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between senior system support specialists' and desktop support specialists' demographics:
| Senior System Support Specialist | Desktop Support Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 83.3% Female, 16.7% | Male, 87.6% Female, 12.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.1% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.7% Asian, 12.4% White, 55.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 11.2% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 12.3% White, 54.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |