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The differences between software support engineers and software engineers lead 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 lead. Additionally, a software engineer lead has an average salary of $125,565, 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 lead are java, python, and software development.
| Software Support Engineer | Software Engineer Lead | |
| Yearly salary | $87,968 | $125,565 |
| Hourly rate | $42.29 | $60.37 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 364,072 | 342,462 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| 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 Lead is focused on developing and testing software programs. They manage a team of software engineers that design enterprise software products and operating systems.
Software support engineers and software engineers lead have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Software Support Engineer | Software Engineer Lead | |
| Average salary | $87,968 | $125,565 |
| Salary range | Between $67,000 And $114,000 | Between $93,000 And $168,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | Apple | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a software support engineer and a software engineer lead in terms of educational background:
| Software Support Engineer | Software Engineer Lead | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| 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 lead' demographics:
| Software Support Engineer | Software Engineer Lead | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 80.5% Female, 19.5% | Male, 86.7% Female, 13.3% |
| 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, 8.3% Asian, 29.9% White, 52.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |