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The differences between operations 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 an operations support technician and a technical support engineer. Additionally, a technical support engineer has an average salary of $85,716, which is higher than the $38,086 average annual salary of an operations support technician.
The top three skills for an operations support technician include operations support, technical support and data entry. The most important skills for a technical support engineer are technical support, customer service, and troubleshoot.
| Operations Support Technician | Technical Support Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $38,086 | $85,716 |
| Hourly rate | $18.31 | $41.21 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 157,716 | 184,542 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
An operations support technician primarily performs support tasks to assist teams in various duties and maintain smooth workflow operations. Although the extent of their responsibilities depends on their industry or company of employment, it usually includes performing research and analysis, monitoring stock inventories, replenishing supplies, preparing and processing documentation, conducting installation and repairs, and liaising with internal and external parties. In some situations, an operations support technician may also handle and assist clients by answering inquiries and resolving issues.
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.
Operations support technicians and technical support engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Operations Support Technician | Technical Support Engineer | |
| Average salary | $38,086 | $85,716 |
| Salary range | Between $24,000 And $58,000 | Between $61,000 And $119,000 |
| Highest paying City | Menlo Park, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | Apple | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Government | Technology |
There are a few differences between an operations support technician and a technical support engineer in terms of educational background:
| Operations Support Technician | Technical Support Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Most common major | Business | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between operations support technicians' and technical support engineers' demographics:
| Operations Support Technician | Technical Support Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 65.8% Female, 34.2% | Male, 83.3% Female, 16.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.9% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.5% Asian, 11.5% White, 55.4% 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% |