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The differences between service center technicians and desktop 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 desktop support technician takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a desktop support technician has an average salary of $41,792, 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 desktop support technician are customer service, desktop support, and troubleshoot.
| Service Center Technician | Desktop Support Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $36,643 | $41,792 |
| Hourly rate | $17.62 | $20.09 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 129,827 | 108,944 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 1 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 37% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| 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 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.
Service center technicians and desktop support technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Service Center Technician | Desktop Support Technician | |
| Average salary | $36,643 | $41,792 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $49,000 | Between $32,000 And $54,000 |
| Highest paying City | Dartmouth, MA | Philadelphia, PA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Pennsylvania |
| Best paying company | Ernst & Young | NTT Data International L.L.C. |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Finance |
There are a few differences between a service center technician and a desktop support technician in terms of educational background:
| Service Center Technician | Desktop Support Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 37% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Most common major | Business | Computer Information Systems |
| Most common college | - | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between service center technicians' and desktop support technicians' demographics:
| Service Center Technician | Desktop Support Technician | |
| Average age | 44 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 71.9% Female, 28.1% | Male, 89.8% Female, 10.2% |
| 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, 11.6% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 11.7% White, 54.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 1% | 11% |