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The differences between technical support engineers and help desk 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 engineer and a help desk specialist. Additionally, a technical support engineer has an average salary of $85,716, which is higher than the $51,065 average annual salary of a help desk specialist.
The top three skills for a technical support engineer include technical support, customer service and troubleshoot. The most important skills for a help desk specialist are customer service, troubleshoot, and technical support.
| Technical Support Engineer | Help Desk Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $85,716 | $51,065 |
| Hourly rate | $41.21 | $24.55 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 184,542 | 75,004 |
| 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.
The primary role of help desk specialists is to maintain relationships between the company and its customers. Their duties and responsibilities include responding to guests' queries, providing technical computer support, and maintaining computer systems' performance. Help desk specialists are also responsible for following up with customers to resolve issues and train computer users. There are several requirements to be qualified for this position, which include having relevant customer service experience, problem-solving and analytical skills, and the ability to prioritize vital tasks.
Technical support engineers and help desk specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Technical Support Engineer | Help Desk Specialist | |
| Average salary | $85,716 | $51,065 |
| Salary range | Between $61,000 And $119,000 | Between $35,000 And $73,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Meta | Schulte Roth & Zabel |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a technical support engineer and a help desk specialist in terms of educational background:
| Technical Support Engineer | Help Desk Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 48% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between technical support engineers' and help desk specialists' demographics:
| Technical Support Engineer | Help Desk Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 83.3% Female, 16.7% | Male, 79.4% Female, 20.6% |
| 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, 12.3% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.3% Asian, 11.6% White, 55.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |