Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between server technicians and desktop support technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a server technician and a desktop support technician. Additionally, a server technician has an average salary of $55,884, which is higher than the $41,792 average annual salary of a desktop support technician.
The top three skills for a server technician include customer service, troubleshoot and windows server. The most important skills for a desktop support technician are customer service, desktop support, and troubleshoot.
| Server Technician | Desktop Support Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $55,884 | $41,792 |
| Hourly rate | $26.87 | $20.09 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 134,665 | 108,944 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 1 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 45% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Average age | 43 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Server technicians are information technology (IT) professionals who are responsible for installing, maintaining, and troubleshooting the server systems of an IT organization. These technicians must manage both Unix and Windows-based systems to ensure reliability and stability for the clients. They are required to manage data center hardware by providing total diagnosis and repair on hardware issues. Server technicians must also perform regular backups for the organization's server while providing technical support to follow up inquiries and problems on system servers.
A desktop support technician is responsible for troubleshooting defective computer systems, affecting its performance and efficiency. Desktop support technicians must be highly familiar with the technology systems and programming codes to navigate system applications and locate the discrepancy of the system. They keep documentation of the ticket issue and the resolution for reference and quality improvement. A desktop support technician also configures and updates computer systems and networks for better optimization, as well as conducting regular inspections and monitoring the efficiency of installed programs and patches.
Server technicians and desktop support technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Server Technician | Desktop Support Technician | |
| Average salary | $55,884 | $41,792 |
| Salary range | Between $32,000 And $94,000 | Between $32,000 And $54,000 |
| Highest paying City | Daly City, CA | Philadelphia, PA |
| Highest paying state | California | Pennsylvania |
| Best paying company | Amd | NTT Data International L.L.C. |
| Best paying industry | - | Finance |
There are a few differences between a server technician and a desktop support technician in terms of educational background:
| Server Technician | Desktop Support Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 45% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Information Systems |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between server technicians' and desktop support technicians' demographics:
| Server Technician | Desktop Support Technician | |
| Average age | 43 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 88.8% Female, 11.2% | Male, 89.8% Female, 10.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 9.7% White, 63.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 11.7% White, 54.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 11% |