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The differences between service center technicians and desk support technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a service center technician, becoming a desk support technician takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a desk support technician has an average salary of $40,715, which is higher than the $36,643 average annual salary of a service center technician.
The top three skills for a service center technician include strong customer service, customer service and troubleshoot. The most important skills for a desk support technician are customer service, technical support, and troubleshoot.
| Service Center Technician | Desk Support Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $36,643 | $40,715 |
| Hourly rate | $17.62 | $19.57 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 129,827 | 130,485 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 37% | Bachelor's Degree, 48% |
| Average age | 44 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 2 |
A service center technician provides customer support on field visits. They manage installation, repair, and debugging on-site. They must listen to customers' concerns to identify problems. Typically, they work with a technician team.
A desktop support technician is responsible for assisting end-users with their network issues, grant authorization requests, and create user accounts. Desktop support technicians maintain the safety and security of networks, preventing unauthorized access and illegal dissemination of database information. They also handle the software configurations and upgrading the network infrastructure to avoid system downtimes and operational delays. A desktop support technician must have excellent communication and technical skills to monitor systems performance and enhance network navigation.
Service center technicians and desk support technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Service Center Technician | Desk Support Technician | |
| Average salary | $36,643 | $40,715 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $49,000 | Between $26,000 And $62,000 |
| Highest paying City | Dartmouth, MA | South San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | California |
| Best paying company | Ernst & Young | BNY Mellon |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a service center technician and a desk support technician in terms of educational background:
| Service Center Technician | Desk Support Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 37% | Bachelor's Degree, 48% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between service center technicians' and desk support technicians' demographics:
| Service Center Technician | Desk Support Technician | |
| Average age | 44 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 71.9% Female, 28.1% | Male, 82.6% Female, 17.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 5.2% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 17.2% Asian, 1.7% White, 71.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 11.7% White, 55.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 1% | 11% |