Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between technical support engineers 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 engineer and a desk support technician. Additionally, a technical support engineer has an average salary of $85,716, which is higher than the $40,715 average annual salary of a desk support technician.
The top three skills for a technical support engineer include technical support, customer service and troubleshoot. The most important skills for a desk support technician are customer service, technical support, and troubleshoot.
| Technical Support Engineer | Desk Support Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $85,716 | $40,715 |
| Hourly rate | $41.21 | $19.57 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 184,542 | 130,485 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 48% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A technical support engineer is responsible for responding to customer issues, providing immediate resolutions to their system issues through remote assistance. Technical support engineers must have strong knowledge of software and hardware applications to diagnose system defects and process troubleshooting. They also assist customers with the installation of programs and updates to improve system performance, escalating high-level concerns to appropriate internal technology teams. A technical support engineer must have strong command with technical systems, as well as excellent communication and time-management skills to understand clients' issues while documenting procedures.
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 engineers and desk support technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Technical Support Engineer | Desk Support Technician | |
| Average salary | $85,716 | $40,715 |
| Salary range | Between $61,000 And $119,000 | Between $26,000 And $62,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | South San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | BNY Mellon |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a technical support engineer and a desk support technician in terms of educational background:
| Technical Support Engineer | Desk Support Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 48% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between technical support engineers' and desk support technicians' demographics:
| Technical Support Engineer | Desk Support Technician | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 83.3% Female, 16.7% | Male, 82.6% Female, 17.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.8% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 15.0% White, 54.4% 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% |