Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between technical associates and technical support engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a technical associate and a technical support engineer. Additionally, a technical associate has an average salary of $86,489, which is higher than the $85,716 average annual salary of a technical support engineer.
The top three skills for a technical associate include customer service, java and patients. The most important skills for a technical support engineer are technical support, customer service, and troubleshoot.
| Technical Associate | Technical Support Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $86,489 | $85,716 |
| Hourly rate | $41.58 | $41.21 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 83,261 | 184,542 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
The duties of a technical associate depend on one's line of work or industry of employment. Typically, their responsibilities revolve around installing and repairing software and applications, troubleshooting, and conducting regular tests and maintenance to ensure smooth workflow. They must also handle and address inquiries or concerns from clients, resolving them promptly and professionally. Moreover, a technical associate mostly works under the directives of a manager or a more experienced staff; they usually coordinate with team members and produce progress reports.
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.
Technical associates and technical support engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Technical Associate | Technical Support Engineer | |
| Average salary | $86,489 | $85,716 |
| Salary range | Between $61,000 And $122,000 | Between $61,000 And $119,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Mateo, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Delaware | Washington |
| Best paying company | The Citadel | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Internet | Technology |
There are a few differences between a technical associate and a technical support engineer in terms of educational background:
| Technical Associate | Technical Support Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between technical associates' and technical support engineers' demographics:
| Technical Associate | Technical Support Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 65.8% Female, 34.2% | Male, 83.3% Female, 16.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.9% Asian, 15.0% White, 54.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | 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 | 11% | 11% |