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The differences between student technicians and desktop support technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a student technician and a desktop support technician. Additionally, a desktop support technician has an average salary of $41,792, which is higher than the $28,926 average annual salary of a student technician.
The top three skills for a student technician include java, javascript and SQL. The most important skills for a desktop support technician are customer service, desktop support, and troubleshoot.
| Student Technician | Desktop Support Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $28,926 | $41,792 |
| Hourly rate | $13.91 | $20.09 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 82,671 | 108,944 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 1 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A student technician is responsible for assisting the school personnel and faculty on utilizing class technologies and other learning equipment. Student technicians accept school requests for setting-up audio-visual equipment during school events, class presentations, and related technical support services. They run multiple diagnostic tests on the systems before actual usage to prevent any defects and inconsistencies during operations. A student technician must have excellent knowledge of the technology and mechanical processes to identify preventive maintenance efficiently.
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.
Student technicians and desktop support technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Student Technician | Desktop Support Technician | |
| Average salary | $28,926 | $41,792 |
| Salary range | Between $16,000 And $50,000 | Between $32,000 And $54,000 |
| Highest paying City | Lakewood, NJ | Philadelphia, PA |
| Highest paying state | Vermont | Pennsylvania |
| Best paying company | Siemens | NTT Data International L.L.C. |
| Best paying industry | - | Finance |
There are a few differences between a student technician and a desktop support technician in terms of educational background:
| Student Technician | Desktop Support Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Information Systems |
| Most common college | Duke University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between student technicians' and desktop support technicians' demographics:
| Student Technician | Desktop Support Technician | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 60.7% Female, 39.3% | Male, 89.8% Female, 10.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.9% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.2% Asian, 14.4% White, 53.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | 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 | 11% | 11% |