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The differences between software support 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 software support specialist and a computer support specialist. Additionally, a computer support specialist has an average salary of $63,926, which is higher than the $62,663 average annual salary of a software support specialist.
The top three skills for a software support specialist include customer service, software support and database. The most important skills for a computer support specialist are computer support, troubleshoot, and technical support.
| Software Support Specialist | Computer Support Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $62,663 | $63,926 |
| Hourly rate | $30.13 | $30.73 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 122,134 | 114,029 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
The software support specialist works on installing, repairing, maintaining, and troubleshooting software systems used by customers. The software support specialist provides expert services for customers to resolve issues and problems. A software support specialist must have expertise in the software handled and can effectively provide easy to follow instructions for clients and customers to follow. Customer software support is essential to service customers' needs, especially in digital products prone to bugs and performance issues.
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.
Software support specialists and computer support specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Software Support Specialist | Computer Support Specialist | |
| Average salary | $62,663 | $63,926 |
| Salary range | Between $43,000 And $90,000 | Between $44,000 And $91,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Jose, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Washington |
| Best paying company | Amdocs | |
| Best paying industry | - | Technology |
There are a few differences between a software support specialist and a computer support specialist in terms of educational background:
| Software Support Specialist | Computer Support Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Most common major | Business | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between software support specialists' and computer support specialists' demographics:
| Software Support Specialist | Computer Support Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 61.2% Female, 38.8% | Male, 80.1% Female, 19.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.7% Asian, 10.6% White, 56.6% 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% |