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The differences between technical support specialists and information technology/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 an information technology/support technician. Additionally, a technical support specialist has an average salary of $48,667, which is higher than the $45,591 average annual salary of an information technology/support technician.
The top three skills for a technical support specialist include customer service, technical support and troubleshoot. The most important skills for an information technology/support technician are customer service, troubleshoot, and computer system.
| Technical Support Specialist | Information Technology/Support Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $48,667 | $45,591 |
| Hourly rate | $23.40 | $21.92 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 157,425 | 161,748 |
| 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.
An information technology (IT) support technician is an individual who is responsible for providing support and troubleshoots software and hardware problems faced by customers. As for larger organizations that have their own IT department, technicians must work together internally with their IT staff members. IT support technicians are involved in inspecting and resolving minor local area network and wireless network issues, which include TCP/IP, DHCP, and VPN. They are also required to obtain an associate's degree in computer science or related field.
Technical support specialists and information technology/support technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Technical Support Specialist | Information Technology/Support Technician | |
| Average salary | $48,667 | $45,591 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $76,000 | Between $31,000 And $66,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Pennsylvania |
| Best paying company | Meta | Microsoft |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Technology |
There are a few differences between a technical support specialist and an information technology/support technician in terms of educational background:
| Technical Support Specialist | Information Technology/Support Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 50% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between technical support specialists' and information technology/support technicians' demographics:
| Technical Support Specialist | Information Technology/Support Technician | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 75.4% Female, 24.6% | Male, 85.4% Female, 14.6% |
| 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, 10.7% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.7% Asian, 13.2% White, 54.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |