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The differences between technical support specialists and desktop 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 specialist and a desktop support technician. Additionally, a technical support specialist has an average salary of $48,667, which is higher than the $41,792 average annual salary of a desktop support technician.
The top three skills for a technical support specialist include customer service, technical support and troubleshoot. The most important skills for a desktop support technician are customer service, desktop support, and troubleshoot.
| Technical Support Specialist | Desktop Support Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $48,667 | $41,792 |
| Hourly rate | $23.40 | $20.09 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 157,425 | 108,944 |
| Job satisfaction | 4.6 | 1 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 50% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| 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 desktop support technician is responsible for troubleshooting defective computer systems, affecting its performance and efficiency. Desktop support technicians must be highly familiar with the technology systems and programming codes to navigate system applications and locate the discrepancy of the system. They keep documentation of the ticket issue and the resolution for reference and quality improvement. A desktop support technician also configures and updates computer systems and networks for better optimization, as well as conducting regular inspections and monitoring the efficiency of installed programs and patches.
Technical support specialists and desktop support technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Technical Support Specialist | Desktop Support Technician | |
| Average salary | $48,667 | $41,792 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $76,000 | Between $32,000 And $54,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Philadelphia, PA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Pennsylvania |
| Best paying company | Meta | NTT Data International L.L.C. |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Finance |
There are a few differences between a technical support specialist and a desktop support technician in terms of educational background:
| Technical Support Specialist | Desktop Support Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 50% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Information Systems |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between technical support specialists' and desktop support technicians' demographics:
| Technical Support Specialist | Desktop Support Technician | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 75.4% Female, 24.6% | Male, 89.8% Female, 10.2% |
| 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, 11.6% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 11.7% White, 54.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |