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The differences between lead support 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 a lead support technician and a software support technician. Additionally, a lead support technician has an average salary of $95,420, which is higher than the $79,670 average annual salary of a software support technician.
The top three skills for a lead support technician include database, customer service and customer satisfaction. The most important skills for a software support technician are customer service, troubleshoot, and java.
| Lead Support Technician | Software Support Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $95,420 | $79,670 |
| Hourly rate | $45.88 | $38.30 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 115,952 | 117,059 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Lead support technicians test and troubleshoot onboard systems by using various interface tools and proprietary software. Besides following instructions, lead support technicians also work hand-in-hand with managers to ensure all quality standards are implemented. Lead support technicians also oversee and support different technical tasks, including brackets, building weldments, fabricating, and modifying support structures. Moreover, lead support technicians troubleshoot and resolve hardware and software problems.
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.
Lead support technicians and software support technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Lead Support Technician | Software Support Technician | |
| Average salary | $95,420 | $79,670 |
| Salary range | Between $64,000 And $140,000 | Between $55,000 And $113,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | California |
| Best paying company | RSM US | |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Finance |
There are a few differences between a lead support technician and a software support technician in terms of educational background:
| Lead Support Technician | Software Support Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between lead support technicians' and software support technicians' demographics:
| Lead Support Technician | Software Support Technician | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 81.1% Female, 18.9% | Male, 73.8% Female, 26.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.7% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 12.0% White, 55.1% 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% |