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The differences between user support analysts and computer support specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a user support analyst and a computer support specialist. Additionally, a user support analyst has an average salary of $79,842, which is higher than the $63,926 average annual salary of a computer support specialist.
The top three skills for a user support analyst include user experience, end user support and technical support. The most important skills for a computer support specialist are computer support, troubleshoot, and technical support.
| User Support Analyst | Computer Support Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $79,842 | $63,926 |
| Hourly rate | $38.39 | $30.73 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 116,372 | 114,029 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
User support analysts are computer professionals who provide support to users by investigating and resolving their computer software and hardware problems. By answering telephone calls and applying their knowledge of computer software and hardware, these analysts are required to talk and answer questions from users to learn the source of error. They must discuss with programmers about software errors as well as call the software and hardware vendors to request service regarding defective products. User support analysts must also revise training manuals and should develop training materials such as exercises and visual displays.
A Computer Support Specialist is responsible for providing the highest customer service for clients with technical and system issues, resolving network failures, and creating support tickets for IT personnel. Computer Support Specialists utilize various system tools and applications to diagnose end-users network issues and conduct immediate troubleshooting. They also help the IT staff design and improve system features and infrastructures and create instructional manuals for deliverables. A Computer Support Specialist must have excellent technical and communication skills to document customers' requests and identify system solutions.
User support analysts and computer support specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| User Support Analyst | Computer Support Specialist | |
| Average salary | $79,842 | $63,926 |
| Salary range | Between $50,000 And $125,000 | Between $44,000 And $91,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | ||
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a user support analyst and a computer support specialist in terms of educational background:
| User Support Analyst | Computer Support Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Most common major | Business | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between user support analysts' and computer support specialists' demographics:
| User Support Analyst | Computer Support Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 69.1% Female, 30.9% | Male, 80.1% Female, 19.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.8% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 13.9% White, 54.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 11.2% White, 55.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |