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The differences between application engineers and service engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both an application engineer and a service engineer. Additionally, an application engineer has an average salary of $92,921, which is higher than the $87,151 average annual salary of a service engineer.
The top three skills for an application engineer include technical support, java and C++. The most important skills for a service engineer are customer service, infrastructure, and cloud.
| Application Engineer | Service Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $92,921 | $87,151 |
| Hourly rate | $44.67 | $41.90 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 111,338 | 143,806 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 57% |
| Average age | 44 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
An application engineer is responsible for creating and re-designing system applications based on clients' specifications and sales demands. Application engineers run diagnostic tests on software programs, identify areas of improvement, install necessary updates, upgrade optimization, revise system codes, and provide technical support for customers' needs. They also generate ideas and locate other business opportunities by analyzing current trends in the technology market that would help build revenues and increase profitability for the company. An application engineer must have a strong command of programming languages, software application processes, and general technology disciplines.
A service engineer is responsible for assisting the customers' concerns regarding the products and services offered by the company through technical support solutions. Service engineers conduct preventive maintenance, upgrade systems to boost optimal performance, create product manuals, record the occurring issues, perform adjustments on the systems infrastructure, identify business opportunities to generate more revenues, and analyze current market trends to meet client demands. A service engineer must have excellent communication skills, including extensive knowledge of the technology industry and network systems.
Application engineers and service engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Application Engineer | Service Engineer | |
| Average salary | $92,921 | $87,151 |
| Salary range | Between $69,000 And $125,000 | Between $62,000 And $122,000 |
| Highest paying City | Redwood City, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Morgan Lewis | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between an application engineer and a service engineer in terms of educational background:
| Application Engineer | Service Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 57% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Georgia Institute of Technology | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between application engineers' and service engineers' demographics:
| Application Engineer | Service Engineer | |
| Average age | 44 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 87.4% Female, 12.6% | Male, 91.8% Female, 8.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 1.4% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 6.7% Asian, 11.5% White, 74.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 3.3% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 8.9% Asian, 13.2% White, 69.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 5% |