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The differences between user support analysts and desktop 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 desktop support specialist. Additionally, a user support analyst has an average salary of $79,842, which is higher than the $44,962 average annual salary of a desktop 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 desktop support specialist are customer service, desktop support, and troubleshoot.
| User Support Analyst | Desktop Support Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $79,842 | $44,962 |
| Hourly rate | $38.39 | $21.62 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 116,372 | 102,191 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| 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 Desktop Support Specialist is focused on troubleshooting different software packages, hardware devices, and other peripherals. They monitor the performance of the company's desktop infrastructure.
User support analysts and desktop support specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| User Support Analyst | Desktop Support Specialist | |
| Average salary | $79,842 | $44,962 |
| Salary range | Between $50,000 And $125,000 | Between $33,000 And $59,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | California | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Cornerstone Research | |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Finance |
There are a few differences between a user support analyst and a desktop support specialist in terms of educational background:
| User Support Analyst | Desktop Support Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Most common major | Business | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between user support analysts' and desktop support specialists' demographics:
| User Support Analyst | Desktop Support Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 69.1% Female, 30.9% | Male, 87.6% Female, 12.4% |
| 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, 11.2% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 12.3% White, 54.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |