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The differences between lead support technicians 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 lead support technician and a technical support engineer. Additionally, a lead support technician has an average salary of $95,420, which is higher than the $85,716 average annual salary of a technical support engineer.
The top three skills for a lead support technician include database, customer service and customer satisfaction. The most important skills for a technical support engineer are technical support, customer service, and troubleshoot.
| Lead Support Technician | Technical Support Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $95,420 | $85,716 |
| Hourly rate | $45.88 | $41.21 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 115,952 | 184,542 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| 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 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.
Lead support technicians and technical support engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Lead Support Technician | Technical Support Engineer | |
| Average salary | $95,420 | $85,716 |
| Salary range | Between $64,000 And $140,000 | Between $61,000 And $119,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Washington |
| Best paying company | Meta | |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a lead support technician and a technical support engineer in terms of educational background:
| Lead Support Technician | Technical Support Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between lead support technicians' and technical support engineers' demographics:
| Lead Support Technician | Technical Support Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 81.1% Female, 18.9% | Male, 83.3% Female, 16.7% |
| 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, 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 | 11% | 11% |