Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between software support engineers and software 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 engineer. Additionally, a software engineer has an average salary of $100,260, 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 engineer are java, python, and software development.
| Software Support Engineer | Software Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $87,968 | $100,260 |
| Hourly rate | $42.29 | $48.20 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 364,072 | 339,938 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | 3.5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| 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 engineer is a computer science professional who is responsible for the development of information systems, designing and building computer systems software and applications software. They often prefer to call themselves as a software developer or computer programmer. They have substantial knowledge of programming languages, software development, and computer operating systems, and other technologies. They use these to turn a plan into a final output. They can create a design, test, and develop software based on the needs of their clients.
Software support engineers and software engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Software Support Engineer | Software Engineer | |
| Average salary | $87,968 | $100,260 |
| Salary range | Between $67,000 And $114,000 | Between $73,000 And $136,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Bruno, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Apple | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Start-up |
There are a few differences between a software support engineer and a software engineer in terms of educational background:
| Software Support Engineer | Software Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| 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 engineers' demographics:
| Software Support Engineer | Software Engineer | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 80.5% Female, 19.5% | Male, 78.0% Female, 22.0% |
| 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, 4.4% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.1% Asian, 34.0% White, 48.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |