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The differences between trainees 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 trainee and a desktop support technician. Additionally, a desktop support technician has an average salary of $41,792, which is higher than the $39,185 average annual salary of a trainee.
The top three skills for a trainee include customer service, CDL and training programs. The most important skills for a desktop support technician are customer service, desktop support, and troubleshoot.
| Trainee | Desktop Support Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $39,185 | $41,792 |
| Hourly rate | $18.84 | $20.09 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 51,490 | 108,944 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 1 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Average age | 43 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Trainees' general responsibility is to familiarize themselves with the best practices and processes of their chosen careers. Some of the trainee's duties include shadowing with a tenured employee to understand various tasks, taking practical examinations to test knowledge extent, maintaining the eagerness to learn and a positive working attitude, assisting with customer inquiries, escalating concerns, and maintaining record progress. A trainee should be a team player, a fast learner, and the ability to handle constructive criticisms for improvement.
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.
Trainees and desktop support technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Trainee | Desktop Support Technician | |
| Average salary | $39,185 | $41,792 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $55,000 | Between $32,000 And $54,000 |
| Highest paying City | Richmond, CA | Philadelphia, PA |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | Pennsylvania |
| Best paying company | Clifford Chance | NTT Data International L.L.C. |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Finance |
There are a few differences between a trainee and a desktop support technician in terms of educational background:
| Trainee | Desktop Support Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Most common major | Business | Computer Information Systems |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between trainees' and desktop support technicians' demographics:
| Trainee | Desktop Support Technician | |
| Average age | 43 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 56.4% Female, 43.6% | Male, 89.8% Female, 10.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.9% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.6% Asian, 13.8% White, 61.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | 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 | 9% | 11% |