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The differences between software support engineers and software design engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a software support engineer and a software design engineer. Additionally, a software design engineer has an average salary of $98,799, which is higher than the $87,968 average annual salary of a software support engineer.
The top three skills for a software support engineer include java, software support and customer service. The most important skills for a software design engineer are software development, python, and software design.
| Software Support Engineer | Software Design Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $87,968 | $98,799 |
| Hourly rate | $42.29 | $47.50 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 364,072 | 315,080 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
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.
A software design engineer or SDE is part of a software development enterprise. Software design engineers determine the problems or issues and figure out how to establish programs to ease and automate the situations. They fabricate style sheets for the management of the individual aspects of huge engineering projects. It is their job to develop strategies for hardware architecture and software engineering. They also handle and mentor engineering interns for professional guidance.
Software support engineers and software design engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Software Support Engineer | Software Design Engineer | |
| Average salary | $87,968 | $98,799 |
| Salary range | Between $67,000 And $114,000 | Between $74,000 And $130,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Apple | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a software support engineer and a software design engineer in terms of educational background:
| Software Support Engineer | Software Design Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between software support engineers' and software design engineers' demographics:
| Software Support Engineer | Software Design Engineer | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 80.5% Female, 19.5% | Male, 81.6% Female, 18.4% |
| 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, 4.5% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.2% Asian, 29.9% White, 52.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |