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The differences between field support engineers and systems 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 field support engineer and a systems support engineer. Additionally, a field support engineer has an average salary of $96,499, which is higher than the $82,561 average annual salary of a systems support engineer.
The top three skills for a field support engineer include technical support, troubleshoot and customer satisfaction. The most important skills for a systems support engineer are linux, troubleshoot, and technical support.
| Field Support Engineer | Systems Support Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $96,499 | $82,561 |
| Hourly rate | $46.39 | $39.69 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 174,765 | 182,434 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
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.
Systems support engineers are information technology professionals who are responsible for building and maintaining the IT infrastructure of an organization. They are required to provide network administration and technical support to identify complex problem issues and come up with solutions to solve them. They must assist the system support engineers in accomplishing any projects they are working with. They must troubleshoot servers, personal computers, and peripheral equipment while liaising with their customers. They must also create and maintain user accounts and implement group policy management through an active directory.
Field support engineers and systems support engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Field Support Engineer | Systems Support Engineer | |
| Average salary | $96,499 | $82,561 |
| Salary range | Between $65,000 And $142,000 | Between $62,000 And $109,000 |
| Highest paying City | Sacramento, CA | Novato, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | Apple | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Finance |
There are a few differences between a field support engineer and a systems support engineer in terms of educational background:
| Field Support Engineer | Systems Support Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Computer Science |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between field support engineers' and systems support engineers' demographics:
| Field Support Engineer | Systems Support Engineer | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 90.6% Female, 9.4% | Male, 89.5% Female, 10.5% |
| 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, 8.5% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 11.5% White, 62.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |