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The differences between technical support trainers 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 trainer and a desktop support technician. Additionally, a technical support trainer has an average salary of $45,722, which is higher than the $41,792 average annual salary of a desktop support technician.
The top three skills for a technical support trainer include customer service, product support and technical support. The most important skills for a desktop support technician are customer service, desktop support, and troubleshoot.
| Technical Support Trainer | Desktop Support Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $45,722 | $41,792 |
| Hourly rate | $21.98 | $20.09 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 168,898 | 108,944 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 1 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A technical support trainer specializes in creating training programs meant to mold workers into becoming valuable members of a company workforce. Their responsibilities revolve around identifying the trainees' needs, providing written and verbal instructions, addressing and resolving inquiries and concerns, conducting skills assessments, managing schedules, monitoring attendance and performance, and providing consultations to trainees. Furthermore, as a trainer, it is essential to lead and encourage trainees to achieve their goals, all while implementing and emphasizing the company's policies and regulations.
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 trainers and desktop support technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Technical Support Trainer | Desktop Support Technician | |
| Average salary | $45,722 | $41,792 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $82,000 | Between $32,000 And $54,000 |
| Highest paying City | Mountain View, CA | Philadelphia, PA |
| Highest paying state | California | Pennsylvania |
| Best paying company | T.D. Williamson | NTT Data International L.L.C. |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Finance |
There are a few differences between a technical support trainer and a desktop support technician in terms of educational background:
| Technical Support Trainer | Desktop Support Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Most common major | Business | Computer Information Systems |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between technical support trainers' and desktop support technicians' demographics:
| Technical Support Trainer | Desktop Support Technician | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 64.3% Female, 35.7% | Male, 89.8% Female, 10.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.7% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 10.6% White, 56.7% 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% |