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The differences between product support engineers and planning engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a product support engineer, becoming a planning engineer takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a product support engineer has an average salary of $90,379, which is higher than the $82,521 average annual salary of a planning engineer.
The top three skills for a product support engineer include product support, technical support and troubleshoot. The most important skills for a planning engineer are project management, infrastructure, and transmission planning.
| Product Support Engineer | Planning Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $90,379 | $82,521 |
| Hourly rate | $43.45 | $39.67 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 201,554 | 56,792 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Average age | 41 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
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.
A planning engineer is in charge of developing plans and systems to organize and schedule project procedures, ensuring efficiency and timeliness. Their responsibilities revolve around learning and understanding the extent of all operations, setting schedules and objectives, liaising with external parties such as vendors or distributors, and maintaining an active communication line with other departments. Furthermore, a planning engineer must monitor the progress of the workflow and the performance of the workforce, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
Product support engineers and planning engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Product Support Engineer | Planning Engineer | |
| Average salary | $90,379 | $82,521 |
| Salary range | Between $67,000 And $121,000 | Between $61,000 And $110,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Apple | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Energy |
There are a few differences between a product support engineer and a planning engineer in terms of educational background:
| Product Support Engineer | Planning Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between product support engineers' and planning engineers' demographics:
| Product Support Engineer | Planning Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 80.7% Female, 19.3% | Male, 83.2% Female, 16.8% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.6% Asian, 15.6% White, 65.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 4% |