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The differences between technical support technicians and network 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 technician and a network support technician. Additionally, a network support technician has an average salary of $48,622, which is higher than the $40,210 average annual salary of a technical support technician.
The top three skills for a technical support technician include customer service, technical support and patients. The most important skills for a network support technician are troubleshoot, technical support, and customer service.
| Technical Support Technician | Network Support Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $40,210 | $48,622 |
| Hourly rate | $19.33 | $23.38 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 165,677 | 120,245 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 40% | Bachelor's Degree, 50% |
| Average age | 42 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Technical support technicians are skilled professionals who resolve computer or information technology-related concerns. They may do installations, repairs, or maintenance activities of various applications or computer hardware. They are sometimes assigned specific issues or concerns to resolve so that they will not be bombarded with various issues. This means that they can now specialize in a specific family of concerns. Technical support technicians may provide on-site support, going directly to the person who needs help and doing what needs to be done or troubleshoot the problem in person. They may also be offsite and would usually be manning helpdesk hotlines. Offsite technical support technicians walk the caller through the steps they should do to fix the issues. As such, when a technical support technician is offsite, they are expected to be good communicators and will be able to provide clear instructions.
A network support technician specializes in optimizing a company's information technology (IT) networks for a smooth and efficient workflow. Their responsibilities revolve around addressing issues and concerns, troubleshooting, installing systems, executing upgrades, conducting diagnostic tests, and performing corrective measures as needed. They must also coordinate with staff in developing new IT systems, evaluate existing networks for areas needing improvement, and develop protocols while adhering to the company's policies and regulations. Furthermore, as a network support technician, it is essential to maintain regular network maintenance checks to ensure the security and safety of company data.
Technical support technicians and network support technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Technical Support Technician | Network Support Technician | |
| Average salary | $40,210 | $48,622 |
| Salary range | Between $24,000 And $64,000 | Between $38,000 And $61,000 |
| Highest paying City | Philadelphia, PA | Troy, NY |
| Highest paying state | Pennsylvania | Rhode Island |
| Best paying company | Ropes & Gray | Microsoft |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Technology |
There are a few differences between a technical support technician and a network support technician in terms of educational background:
| Technical Support Technician | Network Support Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 40% | Bachelor's Degree, 50% |
| Most common major | Business | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between technical support technicians' and network support technicians' demographics:
| Technical Support Technician | Network Support Technician | |
| Average age | 42 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 66.7% Female, 33.3% | Male, 89.3% Female, 10.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.9% Asian, 10.6% White, 56.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.7% Asian, 8.7% White, 64.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 9% |