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The differences between software support engineers and certified medical technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a software support engineer, becoming a certified medical technician takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a software support engineer has an average salary of $87,968, which is higher than the $38,859 average annual salary of a certified medical technician.
The top three skills for a software support engineer include java, software support and customer service. The most important skills for a certified medical technician are patients, vital signs, and CPR.
| Software Support Engineer | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $87,968 | $38,859 |
| Hourly rate | $42.29 | $18.68 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 364,072 | 164,424 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 28% |
| Average age | 39 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 12 |
Working closely with a company's software development team, a software support engineer specializes in handling complex software issues and providing technical assistance to customers. Among their responsibilities include answering calls and correspondence, addressing problems and concerns, troubleshooting, providing step by step solutions, and referring clients to other services when necessary. Moreover, a software support engineer may also take part in software development procedures by creating test structures, identifying and eliminating bugs to ensure the quality and efficiency of software and applications.
Certified Medical Technicians are specialists in medical diagnoses by performing laboratory testing and analysis for hospitals and physicians. Their duties include lab sanitization to prepare for testing and collection, recording medical samples for testing, specimen preparation, blood drawing for donation and testing, and assisting physicians with sample collection as well as equipment handling in surgical rooms. They must also understand how to use complex and sensitive testing equipment such as cell counters, analyzers, microscopes, and centrifuges.
Software support engineers and certified medical technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Software Support Engineer | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Average salary | $87,968 | $38,859 |
| Salary range | Between $67,000 And $114,000 | Between $28,000 And $53,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Denton, TX |
| Highest paying state | California | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Apple | Favorite Healthcare Staffing |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a software support engineer and a certified medical technician in terms of educational background:
| Software Support Engineer | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 28% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Nursing |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | University of Connecticut |
Here are the differences between software support engineers' and certified medical technicians' demographics:
| Software Support Engineer | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Average age | 39 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 80.5% Female, 19.5% | Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.4% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.1% Asian, 30.0% White, 52.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 15.9% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 10.0% White, 53.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |