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The differences between technical support specialists and senior 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 senior support technician. Additionally, a senior support technician has an average salary of $74,459, 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 senior support technician are customer service, technical support, and troubleshoot.
| Technical Support Specialist | Senior Support Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $48,667 | $74,459 |
| Hourly rate | $23.40 | $35.80 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 157,425 | 113,499 |
| Job satisfaction | 4.6 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 50% | Bachelor's Degree, 48% |
| 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 senior support technician is an individual specializing in diagnosing and resolving information technology (IT)-related problems in an organization, including virus issues, forgotten passwords, and software updates. The job requires knowledge about the installation, configuration, and testing of computer hardware and software. Possessing excellent customer service, listening, and problem-solving skills is also vital to qualify for the position. The job's education requirements include an associate or bachelor's degree in computer science, business, information technology, or a related field.
Technical support specialists and senior support technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Technical Support Specialist | Senior Support Technician | |
| Average salary | $48,667 | $74,459 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $76,000 | Between $48,000 And $114,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Durham, NC |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Pennsylvania |
| Best paying company | Meta | Pacira BioSciences |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Technology |
There are a few differences between a technical support specialist and a senior support technician in terms of educational background:
| Technical Support Specialist | Senior Support Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 50% | Bachelor's Degree, 48% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between technical support specialists' and senior support technicians' demographics:
| Technical Support Specialist | Senior Support Technician | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 75.4% Female, 24.6% | Male, 78.4% Female, 21.6% |
| 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, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 11.1% White, 56.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |