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The differences between software support engineers and software development 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 development engineer. Additionally, a software development engineer has an average salary of $109,147, 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 development engineer are java, software development, and AWS.
| Software Support Engineer | Software Development Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $87,968 | $109,147 |
| Hourly rate | $42.29 | $52.47 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 364,072 | 356,971 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| 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 development engineer is responsible for designing and developing software systems and applications based on clients' specifications and business needs. Software development engineers manage operating systems and analyze network codes to maintain the compatibility of the software applications and control systems. They also run diagnostic tests for every software structure to ensure smooth navigations and perform immediate troubleshooting for inconsistencies. A software development engineer must have a strong command of programming languages, as well as technological processes and analytical skills.
Software support engineers and software development engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Software Support Engineer | Software Development Engineer | |
| Average salary | $87,968 | $109,147 |
| Salary range | Between $67,000 And $114,000 | Between $80,000 And $147,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Apple | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a software support engineer and a software development engineer in terms of educational background:
| Software Support Engineer | Software Development Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| 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 development engineers' demographics:
| Software Support Engineer | Software Development Engineer | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 80.5% Female, 19.5% | Male, 79.6% Female, 20.4% |
| 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, 4.7% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 8.4% Asian, 32.7% White, 49.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |