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The differences between supports and computer 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 support and a computer support technician. Additionally, a computer support technician has an average salary of $41,852, which is higher than the $36,227 average annual salary of a support.
The top three skills for a support include customer service, cash management and customer satisfaction. The most important skills for a computer support technician are customer service, technical support, and computer support.
| Support | Computer Support Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $36,227 | $41,852 |
| Hourly rate | $17.42 | $20.12 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 136,788 | 121,180 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 44% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A support employee is responsible for assisting the business operations and responding to customers' inquiries and concerns regarding its goods and services. Support logs all customers' interaction and escalates potential complaints to the appropriate department. They also help with implementing strategic procedures to improve operations and reach maximum productivity. A support employee must have excellent communication and customer service skills, ensuring clients' satisfaction with the services and maintain good feedback to boost the company's brand, attract more clients, and increase revenues.
A computer support technician is responsible for diagnosing and resolving computer and network issues, identifying the source of malfunctions, and improving infrastructure to avoid downtimes and operational delays. Computer support technicians manage the efficiency of all equipment and peripherals for the computers, assist in installing components, and keeping adequate resources or alternatives for defective items. They also recommend minimal costs technology materials and create troubleshooting manuals for reference, ensuring that the network processes adhere to internal guidelines and regulations.
Supports and computer support technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Support | Computer Support Technician | |
| Average salary | $36,227 | $41,852 |
| Salary range | Between $24,000 And $54,000 | Between $34,000 And $51,000 |
| Highest paying City | Urban Honolulu, HI | Lompoc, CA |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | California |
| Best paying company | Microsoft | Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a support and a computer support technician in terms of educational background:
| Support | Computer Support Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 44% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Most common major | Business | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between supports' and computer support technicians' demographics:
| Support | Computer Support Technician | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 51.4% Female, 48.6% | Male, 83.2% Female, 16.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 10.6% White, 56.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 10.7% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.6% Asian, 11.7% White, 55.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |