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The differences between process development and product support engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a process development, becoming a product support engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a product support engineer has an average salary of $90,379, which is higher than the $87,776 average annual salary of a process development.
The top three skills for a process development include java, business process and architecture. The most important skills for a product support engineer are product support, technical support, and troubleshoot.
| Process Development | Product Support Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $87,776 | $90,379 |
| Hourly rate | $42.20 | $43.45 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 67,914 | 201,554 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
A process development professional is responsible for performing extensive research and analysis to design and develop strategies that will optimize the daily procedures in a company. Among their responsibilities include gathering and analyzing data to identify the strengths and weaknesses of current operations, studying the needs of various programs and projects, and developing solutions against problem areas. They may also provide technical guidance and support to staff, all while enforcing and promoting the company's policies and regulations.
A product support engineer is responsible for resolving technical issues of end-users regarding the products and services offered by the company. Product support engineers conduct troubleshooting operations for system failures and write resolution reports for reference. They also support the product analysts in improving the product's features and processes to prevent the reoccurrence of defects and maintain optimal performance. A product support engineer designs automation procedures and runs multiple diagnostic tests to ensure high-quality outputs and avoid operational delays.
Process development and product support engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Process Development | Product Support Engineer | |
| Average salary | $87,776 | $90,379 |
| Salary range | Between $66,000 And $115,000 | Between $67,000 And $121,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Apollo Global Management | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a process development and a product support engineer in terms of educational background:
| Process Development | Product Support Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Chemical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between process development' and product support engineers' demographics:
| Process Development | Product Support Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 66.0% Female, 34.0% | Male, 80.7% Female, 19.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.5% Asian, 15.3% White, 65.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 3.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 13.0% White, 69.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 5% |