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The differences between product applications engineers and product support 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 product applications engineer and a product support engineer. Additionally, a product applications engineer has an average salary of $101,877, which is higher than the $90,379 average annual salary of a product support engineer.
The top three skills for a product applications engineer include technical support, product line and RF. The most important skills for a product support engineer are product support, technical support, and troubleshoot.
| Product Applications Engineer | Product Support Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $101,877 | $90,379 |
| Hourly rate | $48.98 | $43.45 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 101,218 | 201,554 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 44 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A product applications engineer's job is to determine business needs and develop solutions with product managers and address customer queries and issues promptly. They typically address customer questions and issues in a timely manner. They communicate feedback from customers to the design team and provide post-sales support to make suitable modifications in product design. Moreover, it is part of their responsibility to evaluate new software products, check defects, conduct internal application trials for verification, and maintain accurate documentation of problems related to applications, including solutions.
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.
Product applications engineers and product support engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Product Applications Engineer | Product Support Engineer | |
| Average salary | $101,877 | $90,379 |
| Salary range | Between $75,000 And $138,000 | Between $67,000 And $121,000 |
| Highest paying City | Mountain View, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Apple | |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a product applications engineer and a product support engineer in terms of educational background:
| Product Applications Engineer | Product Support Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between product applications engineers' and product support engineers' demographics:
| Product Applications Engineer | Product Support Engineer | |
| Average age | 44 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 89.4% Female, 10.6% | Male, 80.7% Female, 19.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 1.4% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 6.6% Asian, 11.1% White, 74.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | 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 | 7% | 5% |