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The differences between technical experts and desk 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 technical expert and a desk support technician. Additionally, a technical expert has an average salary of $120,223, which is higher than the $40,715 average annual salary of a desk support technician.
The top three skills for a technical expert include customer satisfaction, technical problems and technical troubleshooting. The most important skills for a desk support technician are customer service, technical support, and troubleshoot.
| Technical Expert | Desk Support Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $120,223 | $40,715 |
| Hourly rate | $57.80 | $19.57 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 125,017 | 130,485 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 48% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Technical experts are professionals who are responsible for managing technical programs and products of a technology-based company by providing customer service, staff training, and web development. They must provide technical support on products and current issues through phone calls or face-to-face customer end support. They must conduct technical assistance to help solve operational problems faced by customers while train users to operate automation and communications equipment. They must also research for costing-effective and new technologies while coaching employees on selling those new technologies.
A desktop support technician is responsible for assisting end-users with their network issues, grant authorization requests, and create user accounts. Desktop support technicians maintain the safety and security of networks, preventing unauthorized access and illegal dissemination of database information. They also handle the software configurations and upgrading the network infrastructure to avoid system downtimes and operational delays. A desktop support technician must have excellent communication and technical skills to monitor systems performance and enhance network navigation.
Technical experts and desk support technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Technical Expert | Desk Support Technician | |
| Average salary | $120,223 | $40,715 |
| Salary range | Between $88,000 And $162,000 | Between $26,000 And $62,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | South San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | California |
| Best paying company | Apple | BNY Mellon |
| Best paying industry | Media | Technology |
There are a few differences between a technical expert and a desk support technician in terms of educational background:
| Technical Expert | Desk Support Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 48% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between technical experts' and desk support technicians' demographics:
| Technical Expert | Desk Support Technician | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 77.1% Female, 22.9% | Male, 82.6% Female, 17.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 12.0% White, 55.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 11.7% White, 55.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |