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The differences between professional technicians and software support technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a professional technician and a software support technician. Additionally, a professional technician has an average salary of $81,726, which is higher than the $79,670 average annual salary of a software support technician.
The top three skills for a professional technician include customer service, cloud and project management. The most important skills for a software support technician are customer service, troubleshoot, and java.
| Professional Technician | Software Support Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $81,726 | $79,670 |
| Hourly rate | $39.29 | $38.30 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 123,659 | 117,059 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A professional technician is responsible for handling the complexities of technical and mechanical systems, repair defective components, and recommend technical solutions to enhance the company's productivity and efficiency in delivering high-quality deliverables. Professional technicians must be highly skilled in analyzing schematics and blueprints to assemble components and perform troubleshooting. They also manage the adequacy of inventories, create purchase requests, and identify costs and expenses for repairs and installations. A professional technician must be highly communicative and organization, especially in handling tasks with utmost adherence to safety protocols and regulations.
A software support technician is responsible for resolving software application issues, diagnosing related system failures, and writing resolution reports for reference. Software support technicians must be highly-familiarized with the system's infrastructure and interface to immediately diagnose malfunctions and identify maintenance techniques to prevent the reoccurrence of downtimes and delays. They also assist the system engineers in the configuration and optimization of networks, including the installment of upgrades and patch updates. A software support technician must have excellent organizational and communication skills, especially in navigating computer tools and applications to create support tickets and fix the customers' issues efficiently.
Professional technicians and software support technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Professional Technician | Software Support Technician | |
| Average salary | $81,726 | $79,670 |
| Salary range | Between $64,000 And $104,000 | Between $55,000 And $113,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Microsoft | RSM US |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Finance |
There are a few differences between a professional technician and a software support technician in terms of educational background:
| Professional Technician | Software Support Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between professional technicians' and software support technicians' demographics:
| Professional Technician | Software Support Technician | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 72.1% Female, 27.9% | Male, 73.8% Female, 26.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.0% Asian, 12.8% White, 54.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 12.4% White, 54.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |