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The differences between user support analysts and systems support 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 user support analyst and a systems support analyst. Additionally, a systems support analyst has an average salary of $82,219, which is higher than the $79,842 average annual salary of a user support analyst.
The top three skills for a user support analyst include user experience, end user support and technical support. The most important skills for a systems support analyst are troubleshoot, customer service, and database.
| User Support Analyst | Systems Support Analyst | |
| Yearly salary | $79,842 | $82,219 |
| Hourly rate | $38.39 | $39.53 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 116,372 | 161,168 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| 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 systems support analyst is responsible for supporting the operations of the technology department of an organization, resolving network issues, and maintaining the safety and security of the system database. Systems support analysts must have excellent knowledge of the technology industry, identifying system process improvements, upgrading system infrastructure, and assisting end-users with navigation. They also create resolution reports for reference, including recommendations to prevent future inconsistencies and glitches. A systems support analyst conducts regular maintenance checks on the technology servers and immediately performs troubleshooting as needed for optimization.
User support analysts and systems support analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.
| User Support Analyst | Systems Support Analyst | |
| Average salary | $79,842 | $82,219 |
| Salary range | Between $50,000 And $125,000 | Between $58,000 And $114,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | Virtu Financial | |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Finance |
There are a few differences between a user support analyst and a systems support analyst in terms of educational background:
| User Support Analyst | Systems Support Analyst | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between user support analysts' and systems support analysts' demographics:
| User Support Analyst | Systems Support Analyst | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 69.1% Female, 30.9% | Male, 70.4% Female, 29.6% |
| 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, 11.5% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.3% Asian, 12.5% White, 54.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |