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The differences between service desk specialists and computer 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 service desk specialist and a computer support specialist. Additionally, a computer support specialist has an average salary of $63,926, which is higher than the $48,332 average annual salary of a service desk specialist.
The top three skills for a service desk specialist include service desk, customer service and troubleshoot. The most important skills for a computer support specialist are computer support, troubleshoot, and technical support.
| Service Desk Specialist | Computer Support Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $48,332 | $63,926 |
| Hourly rate | $23.24 | $30.73 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 100,806 | 114,029 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A service desk specialist is responsible for assisting the end-users' technical issues, resolving concerns usually through remote communication. Service desk specialists should have excellent knowledge of the technology industry, including system and server navigation, to identify the problem source and write resolutions for reference to avoid reoccurrence. They assist in developing strategic techniques to improve the system's performance by upgrading and updating its features. A service desk specialist records the observations of the database and develops other alternative resources to assess troubleshooting processes.
A Computer Support Specialist is responsible for providing the highest customer service for clients with technical and system issues, resolving network failures, and creating support tickets for IT personnel. Computer Support Specialists utilize various system tools and applications to diagnose end-users network issues and conduct immediate troubleshooting. They also help the IT staff design and improve system features and infrastructures and create instructional manuals for deliverables. A Computer Support Specialist must have excellent technical and communication skills to document customers' requests and identify system solutions.
Service desk specialists and computer support specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Service Desk Specialist | Computer Support Specialist | |
| Average salary | $48,332 | $63,926 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $65,000 | Between $44,000 And $91,000 |
| Highest paying City | Sacramento, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Pennsylvania | Washington |
| Best paying company | Capgemini | |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Technology |
There are a few differences between a service desk specialist and a computer support specialist in terms of educational background:
| Service Desk Specialist | Computer Support Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Most common major | Business | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between service desk specialists' and computer support specialists' demographics:
| Service Desk Specialist | Computer Support Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 62.4% Female, 37.6% | Male, 80.1% Female, 19.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.2% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 11.4% White, 55.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 11.2% White, 55.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |