Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between data center engineers and customer support engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a data center engineer and a customer support engineer. Additionally, a data center engineer has an average salary of $102,788, which is higher than the $82,674 average annual salary of a customer support engineer.
The top three skills for a data center engineer include data centers, troubleshoot and HVAC. The most important skills for a customer support engineer are customer support, technical support, and customer service.
| Data Center Engineer | Customer Support Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $102,788 | $82,674 |
| Hourly rate | $49.42 | $39.75 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 178,277 | 138,641 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Average age | 43 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A data center engineer is responsible for managing the efficiency and optimal performance of the network data systems of an organization. Data center engineers ensure the safety and security of the database to prevent unauthorized access and suspicious activities within the network that may pose risks for the business. They assess the navigation of the servers, conduct regular maintenance, and perform immediate troubleshooting for glitches to avoid any delays in the operation. A data center engineer must have excellent communication and technical skills, especially in writing data resolution for reference and configuration.
A customer support engineer is responsible for providing the highest customer service by responding to the customers' inquiries and concerns and resolving their complaints regarding the technical products of the company. Customer support engineers handle escalated requests, determine technical solutions, and write resolution reports for reference. They also manage the installation and upgrades of network systems based on clients' specifications to ensure that their systems work with maximum performance. A customer support engineer must have excellent communication and technical skills, especially in recommending improvements to prevent system failures and minimize customers' complaints.
Data center engineers and customer support engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Data Center Engineer | Customer Support Engineer | |
| Average salary | $102,788 | $82,674 |
| Salary range | Between $71,000 And $147,000 | Between $59,000 And $114,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | Meta | Nokia |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a data center engineer and a customer support engineer in terms of educational background:
| Data Center Engineer | Customer Support Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between data center engineers' and customer support engineers' demographics:
| Data Center Engineer | Customer Support Engineer | |
| Average age | 43 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 94.2% Female, 5.8% | Male, 85.8% Female, 14.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.3% Asian, 11.0% White, 62.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.9% Asian, 15.0% White, 54.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 11% |