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The differences between engineering support specialists and computer support specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an engineering support specialist and a computer support specialist. Additionally, an engineering support specialist has an average salary of $70,461, which is higher than the $63,926 average annual salary of a computer support specialist.
The top three skills for an engineering support specialist include engineering support, CAD and data entry. The most important skills for a computer support specialist are computer support, troubleshoot, and technical support.
| Engineering Support Specialist | Computer Support Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $70,461 | $63,926 |
| Hourly rate | $33.88 | $30.73 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 159,095 | 114,029 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
An engineering support specialist's role is vital, especially as it relates to security and databases. They ensure that all technicalities of the project, be it for the support, maintenance, or machines' operation instructions, function well. They perform troubleshooting and system updating if needed. They can also recommend ways to improve the operation by reviewing existing programs and applying new upgrades as allowed and suitable for the system. They should report any malfunctions to personnel concerned.
A Computer Support Specialist is responsible for providing the highest customer service for clients with technical and system issues, resolving network failures, and creating support tickets for IT personnel. Computer Support Specialists utilize various system tools and applications to diagnose end-users network issues and conduct immediate troubleshooting. They also help the IT staff design and improve system features and infrastructures and create instructional manuals for deliverables. A Computer Support Specialist must have excellent technical and communication skills to document customers' requests and identify system solutions.
Engineering support specialists and computer support specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Engineering Support Specialist | Computer Support Specialist | |
| Average salary | $70,461 | $63,926 |
| Salary range | Between $47,000 And $104,000 | Between $44,000 And $91,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Mateo, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Delaware | Washington |
| Best paying company | Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Inc. | |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between an engineering support specialist and a computer support specialist in terms of educational background:
| Engineering Support Specialist | Computer Support Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Most common major | Business | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between engineering support specialists' and computer support specialists' demographics:
| Engineering Support Specialist | Computer Support Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 64.3% Female, 35.7% | Male, 80.1% Female, 19.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 11.5% White, 56.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 11.2% White, 55.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |