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The differences between product quality engineers 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 product quality engineer, becoming a product support engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a product quality engineer has an average salary of $94,173, which is higher than the $90,379 average annual salary of a product support engineer.
The top three skills for a product quality engineer include product quality, continuous improvement and sigma. The most important skills for a product support engineer are product support, technical support, and troubleshoot.
| Product Quality Engineer | Product Support Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $94,173 | $90,379 |
| Hourly rate | $45.28 | $43.45 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 152,621 | 201,554 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
A product quality engineer is responsible for conducting quality check procedures for outputs and manufacturing processes to ensure high-quality deliverables according to business requirements and client specifications. Product quality engineers implement quality assessment criteria with strict adherence to internal guidelines and regulatory policies. They inspect the tools and equipment used for the production and solve inconsistencies, recommending and writing process reports to prevent fault reoccurrence that may affect product standards and market quality and cause distribution delays.
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 quality engineers and product support engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Product Quality Engineer | Product Support Engineer | |
| Average salary | $94,173 | $90,379 |
| Salary range | Between $71,000 And $124,000 | Between $67,000 And $121,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a product quality engineer and a product support engineer in terms of educational background:
| Product Quality Engineer | Product Support Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between product quality engineers' and product support engineers' demographics:
| Product Quality Engineer | Product Support Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 81.8% Female, 18.2% | Male, 80.7% Female, 19.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.2% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 15.1% White, 66.2% 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% |