Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between engineering support specialists and systems 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 systems support specialist. Additionally, an engineering support specialist has an average salary of $70,461, which is higher than the $61,744 average annual salary of a systems support specialist.
The top three skills for an engineering support specialist include engineering support, CAD and data entry. The most important skills for a systems support specialist are customer service, troubleshoot, and technical support.
| Engineering Support Specialist | Systems Support Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $70,461 | $61,744 |
| Hourly rate | $33.88 | $29.68 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 159,095 | 159,364 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 54% |
| 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 systems support specialist is responsible for assisting end-users on system issues, including network configuration and improving network infrastructure. System support specialists implement network strategies alongside the whole technology team to boost the system's efficiency and optimal performance. They create resolution reports for reference and write recommendations to prevent system defects and inconsistencies. A systems support specialist also handles network installations and upgrades, requiring them to have excellent technical skills and knowledge of programming languages.
Engineering support specialists and systems support specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Engineering Support Specialist | Systems Support Specialist | |
| Average salary | $70,461 | $61,744 |
| Salary range | Between $47,000 And $104,000 | Between $41,000 And $91,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Mateo, CA | Centreville, VA |
| Highest paying state | Delaware | Virginia |
| Best paying company | Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Inc. | Koch Industries |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between an engineering support specialist and a systems support specialist in terms of educational background:
| Engineering Support Specialist | Systems Support Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 54% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between engineering support specialists' and systems support specialists' demographics:
| Engineering Support Specialist | Systems Support Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 64.3% Female, 35.7% | Male, 73.4% Female, 26.6% |
| 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, 11.9% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.7% Asian, 10.6% White, 56.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |