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The differences between software support specialists and desktop 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 desktop support specialist. Additionally, a software support specialist has an average salary of $62,663, which is higher than the $44,962 average annual salary of a desktop support specialist.
The top three skills for a software support specialist include customer service, software support and database. The most important skills for a desktop support specialist are customer service, desktop support, and troubleshoot.
| Software Support Specialist | Desktop Support Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $62,663 | $44,962 |
| Hourly rate | $30.13 | $21.62 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 122,134 | 102,191 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| 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 Desktop Support Specialist is focused on troubleshooting different software packages, hardware devices, and other peripherals. They monitor the performance of the company's desktop infrastructure.
Software support specialists and desktop support specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Software Support Specialist | Desktop Support Specialist | |
| Average salary | $62,663 | $44,962 |
| Salary range | Between $43,000 And $90,000 | Between $33,000 And $59,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Jose, CA | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Amdocs | Cornerstone Research |
| Best paying industry | - | Finance |
There are a few differences between a software support specialist and a desktop support specialist in terms of educational background:
| Software Support Specialist | Desktop Support Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Most common major | Business | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between software support specialists' and desktop support specialists' demographics:
| Software Support Specialist | Desktop Support Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 61.2% Female, 38.8% | Male, 87.6% Female, 12.4% |
| 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, 11.2% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 12.3% White, 54.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |