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The differences between technical support assistants and technical 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 support assistant and a technical specialist. Additionally, a technical specialist has an average salary of $88,773, which is higher than the $44,005 average annual salary of a technical support assistant.
The top three skills for a technical support assistant include troubleshoot, phone calls and data entry. The most important skills for a technical specialist are customer service, technical support, and patients.
| Technical Support Assistant | Technical Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $44,005 | $88,773 |
| Hourly rate | $21.16 | $42.68 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 153,404 | 121,151 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 57% |
| 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.
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.
Technical support assistants and technical specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Technical Support Assistant | Technical Specialist | |
| Average salary | $44,005 | $88,773 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $64,000 | Between $62,000 And $126,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | New York | Delaware |
| Best paying company | Autodesk | Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a technical support assistant and a technical specialist in terms of educational background:
| Technical Support Assistant | Technical Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 57% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between technical support assistants' and technical specialists' demographics:
| Technical Support Assistant | Technical Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 61.8% Female, 38.2% | Male, 71.2% Female, 28.8% |
| 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, 10.8% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 12.5% White, 54.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |