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The differences between service desk specialists and technical 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 technical specialist. Additionally, a technical specialist has an average salary of $88,773, 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 technical specialist are customer service, technical support, and patients.
| Service Desk Specialist | Technical Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $48,332 | $88,773 |
| Hourly rate | $23.24 | $42.68 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 100,806 | 121,151 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 57% |
| 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.
The role of technical specialists is to provide technical support for applications and programs to staff members and customers within an organization. They train staff and customers on products and apps and offer advice on the best practices for utilizing technical programs and applications. They also design training materials to teach other staff members the most effective methods of using its technology. It is also their job to reduce company costs by looking for ways to improve productivity and lessen expenses.
Service desk specialists and technical specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Service Desk Specialist | Technical Specialist | |
| Average salary | $48,332 | $88,773 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $65,000 | Between $62,000 And $126,000 |
| Highest paying City | Sacramento, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Pennsylvania | Delaware |
| Best paying company | Capgemini | Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Technology |
There are a few differences between a service desk specialist and a technical specialist in terms of educational background:
| Service Desk Specialist | Technical Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 57% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between service desk specialists' and technical specialists' demographics:
| Service Desk Specialist | Technical Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 62.4% Female, 37.6% | Male, 71.2% Female, 28.8% |
| 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, 10.8% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 12.5% White, 54.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |