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The differences between user support analysts and software 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 user support analyst and a software support technician. Additionally, a user support analyst has an average salary of $79,842, which is higher than the $79,670 average annual salary of a software support technician.
The top three skills for a user support analyst include user experience, end user support and technical support. The most important skills for a software support technician are customer service, troubleshoot, and java.
| User Support Analyst | Software Support Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $79,842 | $79,670 |
| Hourly rate | $38.39 | $38.30 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 116,372 | 117,059 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| 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 software support technician is responsible for resolving software application issues, diagnosing related system failures, and writing resolution reports for reference. Software support technicians must be highly-familiarized with the system's infrastructure and interface to immediately diagnose malfunctions and identify maintenance techniques to prevent the reoccurrence of downtimes and delays. They also assist the system engineers in the configuration and optimization of networks, including the installment of upgrades and patch updates. A software support technician must have excellent organizational and communication skills, especially in navigating computer tools and applications to create support tickets and fix the customers' issues efficiently.
User support analysts and software support technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| User Support Analyst | Software Support Technician | |
| Average salary | $79,842 | $79,670 |
| Salary range | Between $50,000 And $125,000 | Between $55,000 And $113,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | RSM US | |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Finance |
There are a few differences between a user support analyst and a software support technician in terms of educational background:
| User Support Analyst | Software Support Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Most common major | Business | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between user support analysts' and software support technicians' demographics:
| User Support Analyst | Software Support Technician | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 69.1% Female, 30.9% | Male, 73.8% Female, 26.2% |
| 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, 10.6% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 12.4% White, 54.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |