Post job

Technical internship vs technical support specialist

The differences between technical interns and technical 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 technical internship and a technical support specialist. Additionally, a technical support specialist has an average salary of $48,667, which is higher than the $38,417 average annual salary of a technical internship.

The top three skills for a technical internship include python, java and patients. The most important skills for a technical support specialist are customer service, technical support, and troubleshoot.

Technical internship vs technical support specialist overview

Technical InternshipTechnical Support Specialist
Yearly salary$38,417$48,667
Hourly rate$18.47$23.40
Growth rate10%10%
Number of jobs119,178157,425
Job satisfaction-4.6
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 50%Bachelor's Degree, 50%
Average age4242
Years of experience22

What does a technical internship do?

In a technical internship, the responsibilities will vary according to the organization or industry. Despite this, most of the tasks will revolve around accomplishing tasks or directives handed out by managers or supervisors, which might include duties such as researching and analyzing, crafting new ideas from scratch, assisting other personnel, and sharing insights during discussions. One may also have to create or improve systems, detect issues, provide solutions, and maintain an active communication line with team members.

What does a technical support specialist do?

A technical support specialist is responsible for assisting customer's and businesses' concerns and system issues by performing troubleshooting and remote solutions. These specialists must have extensive knowledge of system applications, including software and hardware database to handle complex processes that might affect the end user's experience or the business' daily operations. Technical support specialists should maintain excellent communication skills to guide the client and business on solving network problems. They must also document concerns and progress promptly for reference and quality checks.

Technical internship vs technical support specialist salary

Technical interns and technical support specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

Technical InternshipTechnical Support Specialist
Average salary$38,417$48,667
Salary rangeBetween $27,000 And $54,000Between $30,000 And $76,000
Highest paying CityHillsboro, ORSan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateOregonNew Jersey
Best paying companyOCCMeta
Best paying industryTelecommunicationFinance

Differences between technical internship and technical support specialist education

There are a few differences between a technical internship and a technical support specialist in terms of educational background:

Technical InternshipTechnical Support Specialist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 50%Bachelor's Degree, 50%
Most common majorMedical TechnicianComputer Science
Most common collegeDuke UniversityStanford University

Technical internship vs technical support specialist demographics

Here are the differences between technical interns' and technical support specialists' demographics:

Technical InternshipTechnical Support Specialist
Average age4242
Gender ratioMale, 58.9% Female, 41.1%Male, 75.4% Female, 24.6%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.2% Asian, 15.1% White, 53.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%Black or African American, 11.7% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 11.3% White, 55.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage11%11%

Differences between technical internship and technical support specialist duties and responsibilities

Technical internship example responsibilities.

  • Manage the migration to VOIP phone systems.
  • Used PL/SQL and UNIX shell script to automate daily reports as well as any production error alerts.
  • Manage the c-arm and o-arm in the operating room while maintaining the sterile field at all times.
  • Manage group-wide collaboration using SharePoint and enable cross-team communication base on unique team needs.
  • Utilize front-end development - HTML, CSS, and JavaScript - to enhance both existing and new applications.
  • Maintain PACS computer system and serve as data entry operator.
  • Show more

Technical support specialist example responsibilities.

  • Implement hardware and software upgrades and maintain stability, usability, and security for desktop/laptop/mobile systems; achieve SLA's.
  • Manage all operating end-user software including JavaScript - updating/installing Java.
  • Install, configure and manage proprietary applications on Unix servers.
  • Manage large-scale PC deployments including site surveys involving verification of network activity and appropriate power availability.
  • Manage backups, replications and disaster recovery plans of company mission critical servers and database files to ensure redundancy.
  • Deploy and troubleshoot complex software installations in Microsoft and Linux environments.
  • Show more

Technical internship vs technical support specialist skills

Common technical internship skills
  • Python, 10%
  • Java, 10%
  • Patients, 7%
  • C++, 5%
  • Customer Service, 5%
  • JavaScript, 4%
Common technical support specialist skills
  • Customer Service, 12%
  • Technical Support, 10%
  • Troubleshoot, 8%
  • Math, 4%
  • Customer Satisfaction, 3%
  • Phone Calls, 3%

Browse computer and mathematical jobs