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The differences between field support engineers and senior field service engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a field support engineer, becoming a senior field service engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a field support engineer has an average salary of $96,499, which is higher than the $87,414 average annual salary of a senior field service engineer.
The top three skills for a field support engineer include technical support, troubleshoot and customer satisfaction. The most important skills for a senior field service engineer are customer service, customer satisfaction, and preventive maintenance.
| Field Support Engineer | Senior Field Service Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $96,499 | $87,414 |
| Hourly rate | $46.39 | $42.03 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 174,765 | 111,380 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Associate Degree, 43% |
| Average age | 43 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 6 |
Field support engineers are information technology (IT) professionals who are responsible for providing on-site functions for the network systems of clients. These engineers must assist their clients in solving complex technical issues to reduce the occurrence of network connectivity issues. They must perform routine maintenance checkups to ensure that the network systems of their clients are operating consistently and efficiently. Field support engineers are also required to offer guidance and training to the client personnel to educate them about the operation of the product as well as maintenance procedures.
Senior Field Service Engineers are responsible for the installation, repair, and maintenance of equipment. Their duties include installing equipment that complies with technical specifications, coordinating preventative maintenance, calibrating tools, test equipment, manage the contract tendering process, and conduct field modifications. They also assist in the ordering of repair parts as well as organizing service records and customer logs. Senior Filed Service Engineers works to ensure that work deliverable adheres to all regulatory requirements and health and safety protocols.
Field support engineers and senior field service engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Field Support Engineer | Senior Field Service Engineer | |
| Average salary | $96,499 | $87,414 |
| Salary range | Between $65,000 And $142,000 | Between $66,000 And $115,000 |
| Highest paying City | Sacramento, CA | South San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | Apple | Canon |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a field support engineer and a senior field service engineer in terms of educational background:
| Field Support Engineer | Senior Field Service Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Associate Degree, 43% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between field support engineers' and senior field service engineers' demographics:
| Field Support Engineer | Senior Field Service Engineer | |
| Average age | 43 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 90.6% Female, 9.4% | Male, 96.8% Female, 3.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.9% Asian, 9.3% White, 63.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 3.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.3% Asian, 10.3% White, 72.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 5% |