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What is an applications support engineer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
Quoted experts
Brian Glas,
Christian Hansen Ph.D.
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An applications support engineer is a person responsible for ensuring that software applications run smoothly and efficiently. They provide technical support to users and clients, troubleshoot issues, diagnose and resolve problems, and maintain software systems. Applications support engineers are also responsible for updating software, implementing security measures, and monitoring performance. Successful applications support engineers possess excellent communication skills, as they must communicate with clients and colleagues in a clear and concise manner.

What general advice would you give to an applications support engineer?

Brian GlasBrian Glas LinkedIn profile

Assistant Professor of Computer Science, Union University

Build relationships: Different technologies will interest and challenge you, but throughout your career, you'll find that it's the relationships that are the most important. This is harder to grasp earlier in your career, but much easier to understand after 15-20 years.
Gain different perspectives: Spend time with people in other roles that your job interacts with, and gain a solid understanding of how they view things; this is most valuable for career progression and understanding of how your work fits into the big picture.
ScoreApplications Support EngineerUS Average
Salary
7.0

Avg. Salary $89,928

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
4.0

Growth rate 21%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
4.0
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.17%

Asian 29.97%

Black or African American 4.40%

Hispanic or Latino 8.14%

Unknown 4.79%

White 52.54%

Gender

female 19.17%

male 80.83%

Age - 38
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 38
Stress level
4.0

Stress level is moderate

7.1 - high

Complexity level
7.9

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance
6.6

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being an applications support engineer?

Pros

  • Opportunities to enhance technical knowledge and skills

  • Exposure to different industry sectors

  • Competitive salary and benefits package

  • Potential for career advancement within the company

  • Exciting opportunity to be part of a growing field

Cons

  • High-pressure environment with tight deadlines

  • Long hours or being on call outside of regular working hours

  • Dealing with frustrated or angry customers can be challenging

  • Possibility of having to work on weekends or holidays

  • Job can be repetitive at times, leading to burnout

Applications support engineer career paths

Key steps to become an applications support engineer

  1. Explore applications support engineer education requirements

    Most common applications support engineer degrees

    Bachelor's

    68.6 %

    Master's

    13.5 %

    Associate

    12.8 %
  2. Start to develop specific applications support engineer skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Java10.22%
    Application Support9.93%
    Database8.09%
    JavaScript5.99%
    CRM4.90%
  3. Complete relevant applications support engineer training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New applications support engineers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an applications support engineer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real applications support engineer resumes.
  4. Research applications support engineer duties and responsibilities

    • Create scripts and ETL jobs to automate manual daily production activity.
    • Manage data line project, JIRA use cases and testing, schedules, and cross-functional planning.
    • Manage operational enhancements within the local team and manage globalization of them (Perl, bash scripting).
    • Manage and design UAT tests for new software release, delegate out tasks, and report results back to QA department.
  5. Prepare your applications support engineer resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your applications support engineer resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an applications support engineer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable applications support engineer resume templates

    Build a professional applications support engineer resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your applications support engineer resume.
    Applications Support Engineer Resume
    Applications Support Engineer Resume
    Applications Support Engineer Resume
    Applications Support Engineer Resume
    Applications Support Engineer Resume
    Applications Support Engineer Resume
    Applications Support Engineer Resume
    Applications Support Engineer Resume
    Applications Support Engineer Resume
  6. Apply for applications support engineer jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for an applications support engineer job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first applications support engineer job

Zippi

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Average applications support engineer salary

The average applications support engineer salary in the United States is $89,928 per year or $43 per hour. Applications support engineer salaries range between $67,000 and $120,000 per year.

Average applications support engineer salary
$89,928 Yearly
$43.23 hourly

What am I worth?

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How do applications support engineers rate their job?

5/5

Based on 1 ratings

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Applications support engineer reviews

profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Jan 2024
Pros

Work from home, reasonable salary and benefits

Cons

Repetitive work. Training is on the job mostly.


profile
5.0
A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2020
Pros

I work hard do my job good worker when i work i want the best out of my job starring with each other stand on the work

Cons

Nothing not doing my job


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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