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The differences between technical sales engineers and application engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a technical sales engineer and an application engineer. Additionally, an application engineer has an average salary of $92,921, which is higher than the $88,623 average annual salary of a technical sales engineer.
The top three skills for a technical sales engineer include customer service, sales process and product line. The most important skills for an application engineer are technical support, java, and C++.
| Technical Sales Engineer | Application Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $88,623 | $92,921 |
| Hourly rate | $42.61 | $44.67 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 161,743 | 111,338 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A technical sales engineer is a sales professional who provides technical sales support and advice about the products and services. Your duties typically include consulting and selling on scientifically and technologically advanced products, organizing sales visits, and liaising contracts and terms and conditions. Additionally, you are expected to collaborate with the design, engineering, production, and research and development departments on how to modify products and services that meet customers' needs. You are also responsible for attending meetings, conferences, and trade shows.
An application engineer is responsible for creating and re-designing system applications based on clients' specifications and sales demands. Application engineers run diagnostic tests on software programs, identify areas of improvement, install necessary updates, upgrade optimization, revise system codes, and provide technical support for customers' needs. They also generate ideas and locate other business opportunities by analyzing current trends in the technology market that would help build revenues and increase profitability for the company. An application engineer must have a strong command of programming languages, software application processes, and general technology disciplines.
Technical sales engineers and application engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Technical Sales Engineer | Application Engineer | |
| Average salary | $88,623 | $92,921 |
| Salary range | Between $63,000 And $122,000 | Between $69,000 And $125,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Redwood City, CA |
| Highest paying state | Oregon | California |
| Best paying company | Morgan Lewis | |
| Best paying industry | Telecommunication | Technology |
There are a few differences between a technical sales engineer and an application engineer in terms of educational background:
| Technical Sales Engineer | Application Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Georgia Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between technical sales engineers' and application engineers' demographics:
| Technical Sales Engineer | Application Engineer | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 88.6% Female, 11.4% | Male, 87.4% Female, 12.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 1.6% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 7.7% Asian, 8.7% White, 75.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 1.4% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 6.7% Asian, 11.5% White, 74.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |