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The differences between product support engineers and production supports 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 production support takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a product support engineer has an average salary of $90,379, which is higher than the $49,480 average annual salary of a production support.
The top three skills for a product support engineer include product support, technical support and troubleshoot. The most important skills for a production support are java, unix, and troubleshoot.
| Product Support Engineer | Production Support | |
| Yearly salary | $90,379 | $49,480 |
| Hourly rate | $43.45 | $23.79 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 201,554 | 117,902 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 53% |
| Average age | 41 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 2 |
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.
Production support is in charge of communicating with clients, assisting them with their needs to ensure client satisfaction. Their role is to identify the needs of clients, coordinate with staff, perform research and analysis, prepare and process documents, and address issues and concerns, resolving them promptly and efficiently. There are also instances where they must provide assistance to production staff in manufacturing operations and conceptualizations. Furthermore, as production support, it is essential to function while adhering to the company's policies and regulations.
Product support engineers and production supports have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Product Support Engineer | Production Support | |
| Average salary | $90,379 | $49,480 |
| Salary range | Between $67,000 And $121,000 | Between $26,000 And $92,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | California | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Apple | Bloomberg |
| Best paying industry | Technology | - |
There are a few differences between a product support engineer and a production support in terms of educational background:
| Product Support Engineer | Production Support | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 53% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between product support engineers' and production supports' demographics:
| Product Support Engineer | Production Support | |
| Average age | 41 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 80.7% Female, 19.3% | Male, 64.8% Female, 35.2% |
| 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, 9.8% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 16.0% White, 54.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 11% |