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The differences between technical support assistants 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 support assistant and a desk support technician. Additionally, a technical support assistant has an average salary of $44,005, which is higher than the $40,715 average annual salary of a desk support technician.
The top three skills for a technical support assistant include troubleshoot, phone calls and data entry. The most important skills for a desk support technician are customer service, technical support, and troubleshoot.
| Technical Support Assistant | Desk Support Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $44,005 | $40,715 |
| Hourly rate | $21.16 | $19.57 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 153,404 | 130,485 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 48% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A technical support assistant assists and supports technical staff members in their daily activities. These professionals execute technical support tasks for the client-server. Besides providing technical support for desktop applications, technical support assistants also help technicians resolve and troubleshoot technical issues. Moreover, technical support assistants answer and reply to emails and customer calls concerning their technical problems. They ensure the technical staff follows the required guidelines and procedures and update themselves on the technical aspects' solutions and latest trends.
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 support assistants and desk support technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Technical Support Assistant | Desk Support Technician | |
| Average salary | $44,005 | $40,715 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $64,000 | Between $26,000 And $62,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | South San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | California |
| Best paying company | Autodesk | BNY Mellon |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a technical support assistant and a desk support technician in terms of educational background:
| Technical Support Assistant | Desk Support Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 48% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between technical support assistants' and desk support technicians' demographics:
| Technical Support Assistant | Desk Support Technician | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 61.8% Female, 38.2% | Male, 82.6% Female, 17.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 14.4% White, 54.1% 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% |