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The differences between technical support specialists and computer 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 support specialist and a computer support specialist. Additionally, a computer support specialist has an average salary of $63,926, which is higher than the $48,667 average annual salary of a technical support specialist.
The top three skills for a technical support specialist include customer service, technical support and troubleshoot. The most important skills for a computer support specialist are computer support, troubleshoot, and technical support.
| Technical Support Specialist | Computer Support Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $48,667 | $63,926 |
| Hourly rate | $23.40 | $30.73 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 157,425 | 114,029 |
| Job satisfaction | 4.6 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 50% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A technical support specialist is responsible for assisting customer's and businesses' concerns and system issues by performing troubleshooting and remote solutions. These specialists must have extensive knowledge of system applications, including software and hardware database to handle complex processes that might affect the end user's experience or the business' daily operations. Technical support specialists should maintain excellent communication skills to guide the client and business on solving network problems. They must also document concerns and progress promptly for reference and quality checks.
A Computer Support Specialist is responsible for providing the highest customer service for clients with technical and system issues, resolving network failures, and creating support tickets for IT personnel. Computer Support Specialists utilize various system tools and applications to diagnose end-users network issues and conduct immediate troubleshooting. They also help the IT staff design and improve system features and infrastructures and create instructional manuals for deliverables. A Computer Support Specialist must have excellent technical and communication skills to document customers' requests and identify system solutions.
Technical support specialists and computer support specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Technical Support Specialist | Computer Support Specialist | |
| Average salary | $48,667 | $63,926 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $76,000 | Between $44,000 And $91,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Washington |
| Best paying company | Meta | |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Technology |
There are a few differences between a technical support specialist and a computer support specialist in terms of educational background:
| Technical Support Specialist | Computer Support Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 50% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between technical support specialists' and computer support specialists' demographics:
| Technical Support Specialist | Computer Support Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 75.4% Female, 24.6% | Male, 80.1% Female, 19.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.7% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 11.3% White, 55.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 11.2% White, 55.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |