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What is a service engineer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
Quoted expert
Andrea Welker Ph.D.
introduction image

A service engineer is an individual who provides technical support and maintenance services for various equipment, machinery, and systems. They are responsible for diagnosing and fixing issues, installing new systems, and ensuring that equipment is functioning properly. Service engineers work in a wide range of industries, including manufacturing, telecommunications, and healthcare. Service engineers must have excellent problem-solving skills, strong communication abilities, and a deep understanding of the equipment they are working with.

What general advice would you give to a service engineer?

Andrea Welker Ph.D.Andrea Welker Ph.D. LinkedIn profile

Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, College of Engineering Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Villanova University

Be open to new experiences. Find a good mentor. Become a valued employee. Always remember that you are designing something for someone.
ScoreService EngineerUS Average
Salary
6.8

Avg. Salary $87,151

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
7.4

Growth rate 2%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
6.4
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.11%

Asian 13.24%

Black or African American 3.31%

Hispanic or Latino 8.91%

Unknown 4.57%

White 69.86%

Gender

female 8.22%

male 91.78%

Age - 39
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 39
Stress level
7.4

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
8.6

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance
5.1

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a service engineer?

Pros

  • Opportunity to work with advanced technology

  • High level of job security

  • Chance to travel and work in different locations

  • Variety of tasks and challenges in the job

  • Good compensation and benefits package

Cons

  • Work can be physically demanding and may require lifting heavy equipment

  • Long or irregular hours, including weekends and holidays

  • Possible exposure to hazardous materials or environments

  • High-pressure situations when dealing with urgent repairs or customer complaints

  • Frequent travel can be tiring and disruptive to personal life

Service engineer career paths

Key steps to become a service engineer

  1. Explore service engineer education requirements

    Most common service engineer degrees

    Bachelor's

    56.9 %

    Associate

    22.0 %

    Master's

    8.0 %
  2. Start to develop specific service engineer skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Customer Service6.97%
    Infrastructure6.73%
    Cloud6.56%
    Technical Support5.44%
    Java4.50%
  3. Complete relevant service engineer training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New service engineers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a service engineer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real service engineer resumes.
  4. Research service engineer duties and responsibilities

    • Lead FDA remediation upgrade of medical infusion pumps used in hospitals and clinics nationwide.
    • Expand responsibilities include testing applications on newly update managed desktop image.
    • Manage RF servers and performing network troubleshooting and preventative maintenance on network elements.
    • Manage Jenkins security by providing specific access to authorize developers/testers using project base matrix authorization strategy.
  5. Prepare your service engineer resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your service engineer resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a service engineer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable service engineer resume templates

    Build a professional service engineer resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your service engineer resume.
    Service Engineer Resume
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    Service Engineer Resume
  6. Apply for service engineer jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a service engineer job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first service engineer job

Zippi

Are you a service engineer?

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Average service engineer salary

The average service engineer salary in the United States is $87,151 per year or $42 per hour. Service engineer salaries range between $62,000 and $122,000 per year.

Average service engineer salary
$87,151 Yearly
$41.90 hourly

What am I worth?

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How do service engineers rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Service engineer reviews

profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2020
Pros

The Different employees i work with and what all i learn from them

Cons

very little


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Dec 2019
Pros

Troubleshooting and commissioning

Cons

Undone job, when we're unable to discover certain fault on time.


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Jul 2019
Pros

Challenge, satisfaction of problem resolution and working with team

Cons

HR compliance and accounting auditing , quarterly budgeting rather than Annual as previously accepted. Wallstreet insistence on more frequent projections


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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