Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between software support engineers and technical support engineers 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 technical support engineer takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a software support engineer has an average salary of $87,968, which is higher than the $85,716 average annual salary of a technical support engineer.
The top three skills for a software support engineer include java, software support and customer service. The most important skills for a technical support engineer are technical support, customer service, and troubleshoot.
| Software Support Engineer | Technical Support Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $87,968 | $85,716 |
| Hourly rate | $42.29 | $41.21 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 364,072 | 184,542 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Average age | 39 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 2 |
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 technical support engineer is responsible for responding to customer issues, providing immediate resolutions to their system issues through remote assistance. Technical support engineers must have strong knowledge of software and hardware applications to diagnose system defects and process troubleshooting. They also assist customers with the installation of programs and updates to improve system performance, escalating high-level concerns to appropriate internal technology teams. A technical support engineer must have strong command with technical systems, as well as excellent communication and time-management skills to understand clients' issues while documenting procedures.
Software support engineers and technical support engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Software Support Engineer | Technical Support Engineer | |
| Average salary | $87,968 | $85,716 |
| Salary range | Between $67,000 And $114,000 | Between $61,000 And $119,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | Apple | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a software support engineer and a technical support engineer in terms of educational background:
| Software Support Engineer | Technical Support Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between software support engineers' and technical support engineers' demographics:
| Software Support Engineer | Technical Support Engineer | |
| Average age | 39 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 80.5% Female, 19.5% | Male, 83.3% Female, 16.7% |
| 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, 9.8% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 15.0% White, 54.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 11% |