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The differences between trainees and help desk analysts 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 help desk analyst. Additionally, a trainee has an average salary of $39,185, which is higher than the $37,318 average annual salary of a help desk analyst.
The top three skills for a trainee include customer service, CDL and training programs. The most important skills for a help desk analyst are customer service, troubleshoot, and technical support.
| Trainee | Help Desk Analyst | |
| Yearly salary | $39,185 | $37,318 |
| Hourly rate | $18.84 | $17.94 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 51,490 | 87,591 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 50% |
| 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.
Help Desk Analysts generally provide technical support by assisting customers with their system issues. These analysts are expected to be highly knowledgeable about application processes and basic troubleshooting. Help Desk Analysts usually communicate with end-users through phone calls or e-mail and are required to attend on customers technical issues promptly. Depending on the expertise, the Help Desk Analysts are often categorized to support levels wherein the most complex issues are often handle by the highest tier. The Help Desk Analysts must have critical-thinking skills on solving network problems and document specific concerns and progress.
Trainees and help desk analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Trainee | Help Desk Analyst | |
| Average salary | $39,185 | $37,318 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $55,000 | Between $26,000 And $52,000 |
| Highest paying City | Richmond, CA | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Clifford Chance | Pacific Investment Management Company LLC |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Government |
There are a few differences between a trainee and a help desk analyst in terms of educational background:
| Trainee | Help Desk Analyst | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 50% |
| Most common major | Business | Computer Information Systems |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between trainees' and help desk analysts' demographics:
| Trainee | Help Desk Analyst | |
| Average age | 43 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 56.4% Female, 43.6% | Male, 71.8% Female, 28.2% |
| 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, 12.5% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 11.1% White, 55.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 11% |