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The differences between systems support engineers and systems support specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a systems support engineer and a systems support specialist. Additionally, a systems support engineer has an average salary of $82,561, which is higher than the $61,744 average annual salary of a systems support specialist.
The top three skills for a systems support engineer include linux, troubleshoot and technical support. The most important skills for a systems support specialist are customer service, troubleshoot, and technical support.
| Systems Support Engineer | Systems Support Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $82,561 | $61,744 |
| Hourly rate | $39.69 | $29.68 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 182,434 | 159,364 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 54% |
| Average age | 43 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Systems support engineers are information technology professionals who are responsible for building and maintaining the IT infrastructure of an organization. They are required to provide network administration and technical support to identify complex problem issues and come up with solutions to solve them. They must assist the system support engineers in accomplishing any projects they are working with. They must troubleshoot servers, personal computers, and peripheral equipment while liaising with their customers. They must also create and maintain user accounts and implement group policy management through an active directory.
A systems support specialist is responsible for assisting end-users on system issues, including network configuration and improving network infrastructure. System support specialists implement network strategies alongside the whole technology team to boost the system's efficiency and optimal performance. They create resolution reports for reference and write recommendations to prevent system defects and inconsistencies. A systems support specialist also handles network installations and upgrades, requiring them to have excellent technical skills and knowledge of programming languages.
Systems support engineers and systems support specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Systems Support Engineer | Systems Support Specialist | |
| Average salary | $82,561 | $61,744 |
| Salary range | Between $62,000 And $109,000 | Between $41,000 And $91,000 |
| Highest paying City | Novato, CA | Centreville, VA |
| Highest paying state | California | Virginia |
| Best paying company | Apple | Koch Industries |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Technology |
There are a few differences between a systems support engineer and a systems support specialist in terms of educational background:
| Systems Support Engineer | Systems Support Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 54% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between systems support engineers' and systems support specialists' demographics:
| Systems Support Engineer | Systems Support Specialist | |
| Average age | 43 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 89.5% Female, 10.5% | Male, 73.4% Female, 26.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.5% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 11.5% White, 62.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 11.9% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.7% Asian, 10.6% White, 56.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 11% |