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The differences between technical specialists and desktop 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 specialist and a desktop support specialist. Additionally, a technical specialist has an average salary of $88,773, which is higher than the $44,962 average annual salary of a desktop support specialist.
The top three skills for a technical specialist include customer service, technical support and patients. The most important skills for a desktop support specialist are customer service, desktop support, and troubleshoot.
| Technical Specialist | Desktop Support Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $88,773 | $44,962 |
| Hourly rate | $42.68 | $21.62 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 121,151 | 102,191 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
The role of technical specialists is to provide technical support for applications and programs to staff members and customers within an organization. They train staff and customers on products and apps and offer advice on the best practices for utilizing technical programs and applications. They also design training materials to teach other staff members the most effective methods of using its technology. It is also their job to reduce company costs by looking for ways to improve productivity and lessen expenses.
A Desktop Support Specialist is focused on troubleshooting different software packages, hardware devices, and other peripherals. They monitor the performance of the company's desktop infrastructure.
Technical specialists and desktop support specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Technical Specialist | Desktop Support Specialist | |
| Average salary | $88,773 | $44,962 |
| Salary range | Between $62,000 And $126,000 | Between $33,000 And $59,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | Delaware | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner | Cornerstone Research |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Finance |
There are a few differences between a technical specialist and a desktop support specialist in terms of educational background:
| Technical Specialist | Desktop Support Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Most common major | Business | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between technical specialists' and desktop support specialists' demographics:
| Technical Specialist | Desktop Support Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 71.2% Female, 28.8% | Male, 87.6% Female, 12.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.8% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 12.5% White, 54.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 11.2% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 12.3% White, 54.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |