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The differences between field system engineers and technical 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 system engineer and a technical support engineer. Additionally, a field system engineer has an average salary of $91,282, which is higher than the $85,716 average annual salary of a technical support engineer.
The top three skills for a field system engineer include PLC, troubleshoot and customer sites. The most important skills for a technical support engineer are technical support, customer service, and troubleshoot.
| Field System Engineer | Technical Support Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $91,282 | $85,716 |
| Hourly rate | $43.89 | $41.21 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 145,115 | 184,542 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Average age | 43 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A field system engineer specializes in designing and developing systems and applications to optimize company operations. Among their responsibilities include identifying and understanding the company's needs, conceptualizing plans, developing prototypes and test structures, troubleshooting and resolving problems, coordinating with fellow engineers, and producing progress reports as needed. They are also responsible for establishing guidelines, safety policies, and standards. Moreover, a field system engineer typically manages a junior team, which requires an active communication line for a smooth and efficient workflow.
A technical support engineer is responsible for responding to customer issues, providing immediate resolutions to their system issues through remote assistance. Technical support engineers must have strong knowledge of software and hardware applications to diagnose system defects and process troubleshooting. They also assist customers with the installation of programs and updates to improve system performance, escalating high-level concerns to appropriate internal technology teams. A technical support engineer must have strong command with technical systems, as well as excellent communication and time-management skills to understand clients' issues while documenting procedures.
Field system engineers and technical support engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Field System Engineer | Technical Support Engineer | |
| Average salary | $91,282 | $85,716 |
| Salary range | Between $65,000 And $126,000 | Between $61,000 And $119,000 |
| Highest paying City | Menlo Park, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | F5 | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Telecommunication | Technology |
There are a few differences between a field system engineer and a technical support engineer in terms of educational background:
| Field System Engineer | Technical Support Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between field system engineers' and technical support engineers' demographics:
| Field System Engineer | Technical Support Engineer | |
| Average age | 43 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 92.6% Female, 7.4% | Male, 83.3% Female, 16.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.6% Asian, 8.8% White, 64.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 9.8% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 15.0% White, 54.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 11% |