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The differences between infrastructure technicians and software support technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an infrastructure technician and a software support technician. Additionally, an infrastructure technician has an average salary of $96,543, which is higher than the $79,670 average annual salary of a software support technician.
The top three skills for an infrastructure technician include troubleshoot, structured cabling and technical support. The most important skills for a software support technician are customer service, troubleshoot, and java.
In the information technology (IT) industry, an infrastructure technician is an IT expert responsible for the maintenance and installation of computer systems and networks. They are also responsible for addressing issues and concerns, troubleshooting problems, performing adjustments and modifications, developing test structures, eliminating bugs, and maintaining documentation. There are also instances where they participate in designing and developing network software and hardware, liaising with clients, and overseeing IT operations. Moreover, an infrastructure technician must provide technical support and guidance to staff, all while enforcing the security and quality standards of the company.
A software support technician is responsible for resolving software application issues, diagnosing related system failures, and writing resolution reports for reference. Software support technicians must be highly-familiarized with the system's infrastructure and interface to immediately diagnose malfunctions and identify maintenance techniques to prevent the reoccurrence of downtimes and delays. They also assist the system engineers in the configuration and optimization of networks, including the installment of upgrades and patch updates. A software support technician must have excellent organizational and communication skills, especially in navigating computer tools and applications to create support tickets and fix the customers' issues efficiently.
Infrastructure technicians and software support technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Infrastructure Technician | Software Support Technician | |
| Average salary | $96,543 | $79,670 |
| Salary range | Between $62,000 And $148,000 | Between $55,000 And $113,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | California |
| Best paying company | Yelp | RSM US |
| Best paying industry | - | Finance |
There are a few differences between an infrastructure technician and a software support technician in terms of educational background:
| Infrastructure Technician | Software Support Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 49% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Most common major | Computer Information Systems | Computer Science |
| Most common college | - | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between infrastructure technicians' and software support technicians' demographics:
| Infrastructure Technician | Software Support Technician | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 91.0% Female, 9.0% | Male, 73.8% Female, 26.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 10.6% White, 57.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 12.4% White, 54.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |