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The differences between technical support specialists and information systems technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a technical support specialist, becoming an information systems technician takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a technical support specialist has an average salary of $48,667, which is higher than the $46,346 average annual salary of an information systems technician.
The top three skills for a technical support specialist include customer service, technical support and troubleshoot. The most important skills for an information systems technician are customer service, troubleshoot, and technical support.
| Technical Support Specialist | Information Systems Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $48,667 | $46,346 |
| Hourly rate | $23.40 | $22.28 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 157,425 | 173,424 |
| Job satisfaction | 4.6 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 50% | Bachelor's Degree, 50% |
| Average age | 42 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 6 |
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.
An information systems technician is responsible for maintaining the efficiency of various network systems' performance. Information systems technicians provide network troubleshooting, upgrading systems for optimization, maintaining the security of databases, managing the interaction of networks, and inspecting and troubleshooting system inconsistencies. Additional duties include creating network designs based on clients' specifications, configuring software and hardware applications, and creating reports on system issues and resolutions. An information systems technician must have excellent knowledge of information systems procedures, programming languages, detecting malfunctions, and making resolutions promptly.
Technical support specialists and information systems technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Technical Support Specialist | Information Systems Technician | |
| Average salary | $48,667 | $46,346 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $76,000 | Between $28,000 And $74,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Rahway, NJ |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Meta | Simpson Thacher & Bartlett |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Government |
There are a few differences between a technical support specialist and an information systems technician in terms of educational background:
| Technical Support Specialist | Information Systems Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 50% | Bachelor's Degree, 50% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between technical support specialists' and information systems technicians' demographics:
| Technical Support Specialist | Information Systems Technician | |
| Average age | 42 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 75.4% Female, 24.6% | Male, 73.6% Female, 26.4% |
| 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, 6.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 12.0% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |