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The differences between program support 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 program support technician and a software support technician. Additionally, a software support technician has an average salary of $79,670, which is higher than the $36,653 average annual salary of a program support technician.
The top three skills for a program support technician include program support, data entry and DMV. The most important skills for a software support technician are customer service, troubleshoot, and java.
| Program Support Technician | Software Support Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $36,653 | $79,670 |
| Hourly rate | $17.62 | $38.30 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 160,368 | 117,059 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Program support technicians require administrative experience and skills in communication, organization, and proficiency with office software to do their best. This career choice demands showcasing support for users by answering their questions, resolving technical issues, and maintaining the network, software, and computer equipment of the respective company.
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.
Program support technicians and software support technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Program Support Technician | Software Support Technician | |
| Average salary | $36,653 | $79,670 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $52,000 | Between $55,000 And $113,000 |
| Highest paying City | Long Beach, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | California |
| Best paying company | Mandiant | RSM US |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Finance |
There are a few differences between a program support technician and a software support technician in terms of educational background:
| Program Support Technician | Software Support Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Most common major | Business | Computer Science |
| Most common college | California State University - Bakersfield | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between program support technicians' and software support technicians' demographics:
| Program Support Technician | Software Support Technician | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 32.2% Female, 67.8% | Male, 73.8% Female, 26.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 14.2% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 13.2% Asian, 9.6% White, 57.2% 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% |