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The differences between engineering project specialists and product support engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes More than 10 years to become an engineering project specialist, becoming a product support engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, an engineering project specialist has an average salary of $107,780, which is higher than the $90,379 average annual salary of a product support engineer.
The top three skills for an engineering project specialist include project management, program management and BOM. The most important skills for a product support engineer are product support, technical support, and troubleshoot.
| Engineering Project Specialist | Product Support Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $107,780 | $90,379 |
| Hourly rate | $51.82 | $43.45 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 64,773 | 201,554 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 48 | 41 |
| Years of experience | - | 6 |
The primary role of an engineering project specialist is overseeing the project process until its completion. They are the ones who are in constant communication with the contractors, suppliers, and stakeholders, from accounting to inventory to deliveries and even to hiring new staff to increase the workforce, so that a project will be completed on time, with no missing parts, and with no fail. If a problem arises, engineering project specialists can troubleshoot and find a timely solution.
A product support engineer is responsible for resolving technical issues of end-users regarding the products and services offered by the company. Product support engineers conduct troubleshooting operations for system failures and write resolution reports for reference. They also support the product analysts in improving the product's features and processes to prevent the reoccurrence of defects and maintain optimal performance. A product support engineer designs automation procedures and runs multiple diagnostic tests to ensure high-quality outputs and avoid operational delays.
Engineering project specialists and product support engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Engineering Project Specialist | Product Support Engineer | |
| Average salary | $107,780 | $90,379 |
| Salary range | Between $70,000 And $164,000 | Between $67,000 And $121,000 |
| Highest paying City | Farmington, CT | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | California |
| Best paying company | Apple | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between an engineering project specialist and a product support engineer in terms of educational background:
| Engineering Project Specialist | Product Support Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Business | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between engineering project specialists' and product support engineers' demographics:
| Engineering Project Specialist | Product Support Engineer | |
| Average age | 48 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 68.9% Female, 31.1% | Male, 80.7% Female, 19.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.0% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 8.5% Asian, 11.9% White, 71.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 3.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 13.0% White, 69.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 5% |