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The differences between technical laboratory specialists and 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 laboratory specialist and a support specialist. Additionally, a technical laboratory specialist has an average salary of $59,377, which is higher than the $40,782 average annual salary of a support specialist.
The top three skills for a technical laboratory specialist include clinical laboratory, patients and chemistry. The most important skills for a support specialist are customer service, patients, and mental health.
| Technical Laboratory Specialist | Support Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $59,377 | $40,782 |
| Hourly rate | $28.55 | $19.61 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 147,595 | 125,740 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A Technical Laboratory Specialist is a skilled worker who performs technical diagnostic or mechanical tests in scientific or medical laboratories. Technical laboratory specialists sample, test, measure, record, and analyze results as part of the scientific team. Their job involves technical support so that laboratories can operate effectively according to the right health and safety guidelines and procedures. For this job, one should develop administrative skills, knowledge in mathematics, use initiative, and focus on details.
A support specialist is responsible for assisting technical and administrative support, depending on the business need. Support specialists must have extensive knowledge of the services of the organization they work for to assist customers with their inquiries and resolve complaints efficiently. A support specialist maintains documents of issue resolution, providing recommendations to improve business strategies and procedures. Support specialists must be well-versed on technology systems, perform basic troubleshooting, and secure databases. They should also have impeccable customer service and communication skills to attend with customers' needs and requests.
Technical laboratory specialists and support specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Technical Laboratory Specialist | Support Specialist | |
| Average salary | $59,377 | $40,782 |
| Salary range | Between $39,000 And $88,000 | Between $25,000 And $64,000 |
| Highest paying City | Burlingame, CA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | New York |
| Best paying company | Sutter Health | Microsoft |
| Best paying industry | - | Technology |
There are a few differences between a technical laboratory specialist and a support specialist in terms of educational background:
| Technical Laboratory Specialist | Support Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Most common major | Biology | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between technical laboratory specialists' and support specialists' demographics:
| Technical Laboratory Specialist | Support Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 55.0% Female, 45.0% | Male, 38.4% Female, 61.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.7% Asian, 11.6% White, 55.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 10.4% White, 56.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |