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The differences between software support managers and software support engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-8 years to become a software support manager, becoming a software support engineer takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a software support manager has an average salary of $104,045, which is higher than the $87,968 average annual salary of a software support engineer.
The top three skills for a software support manager include software support, software development and technical support. The most important skills for a software support engineer are java, software support, and customer service.
| Software Support Manager | Software Support Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $104,045 | $87,968 |
| Hourly rate | $50.02 | $42.29 |
| Growth rate | 16% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 113,869 | 364,072 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Average age | 47 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 8 | 4 |
A software support manager updates software, oversees a team, and ensures risk assessment activities are completed. They also create progress reports and manage documentation for their team. Ultimately, they manage, install, restore and debug software.
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.
Software support managers and software support engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Software Support Manager | Software Support Engineer | |
| Average salary | $104,045 | $87,968 |
| Salary range | Between $76,000 And $141,000 | Between $67,000 And $114,000 |
| Highest paying City | Foster City, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | NVIDIA | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Telecommunication | Technology |
There are a few differences between a software support manager and a software support engineer in terms of educational background:
| Software Support Manager | Software Support Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Most common major | Business | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Carnegie Mellon University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between software support managers' and software support engineers' demographics:
| Software Support Manager | Software Support Engineer | |
| Average age | 47 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 71.0% Female, 29.0% | Male, 80.5% Female, 19.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.8% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 10.2% Asian, 12.6% White, 65.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 8% |