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The differences between pre sales engineers and application engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a pre sales engineer and an application engineer. Additionally, a pre sales engineer has an average salary of $116,651, which is higher than the $92,921 average annual salary of an application engineer.
The top three skills for a pre sales engineer include sales process, pre sales and cloud. The most important skills for an application engineer are technical support, java, and C++.
| Pre Sales Engineer | Application Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $116,651 | $92,921 |
| Hourly rate | $56.08 | $44.67 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 68,855 | 111,338 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A pre-sales engineer's role is to assist clients by offering technology recommendations and advice, aiming to secure sales and client satisfaction. Aside from selling products and services, a pre-sales engineer is also responsible for coordinating with various sales personnel, identifying the needs of clients, discussing how the equipment and devices can help attain business goals, and answering any inquiries about the subject. Furthermore, it is essential to develop positive relationships with clients, all while adhering to the company's policies and regulations.
An application engineer is responsible for creating and re-designing system applications based on clients' specifications and sales demands. Application engineers run diagnostic tests on software programs, identify areas of improvement, install necessary updates, upgrade optimization, revise system codes, and provide technical support for customers' needs. They also generate ideas and locate other business opportunities by analyzing current trends in the technology market that would help build revenues and increase profitability for the company. An application engineer must have a strong command of programming languages, software application processes, and general technology disciplines.
Pre sales engineers and application engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Pre Sales Engineer | Application Engineer | |
| Average salary | $116,651 | $92,921 |
| Salary range | Between $84,000 And $160,000 | Between $69,000 And $125,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Redwood City, CA |
| Highest paying state | Oregon | California |
| Best paying company | Apple | Morgan Lewis |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a pre sales engineer and an application engineer in terms of educational background:
| Pre Sales Engineer | Application Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Georgia Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between pre sales engineers' and application engineers' demographics:
| Pre Sales Engineer | Application Engineer | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 83.5% Female, 16.5% | Male, 87.4% Female, 12.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 1.7% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 8.0% Asian, 8.4% White, 75.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 1.4% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 6.7% Asian, 11.5% White, 74.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |