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The differences between technical support engineers and information systems technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a technical support engineer, becoming an information systems technician takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a technical support engineer has an average salary of $85,716, which is higher than the $46,346 average annual salary of an information systems technician.
The top three skills for a technical support engineer include technical support, customer service and troubleshoot. The most important skills for an information systems technician are customer service, troubleshoot, and technical support.
| Technical Support Engineer | Information Systems Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $85,716 | $46,346 |
| Hourly rate | $41.21 | $22.28 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 184,542 | 173,424 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 50% |
| Average age | 42 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 6 |
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.
An information systems technician is responsible for maintaining the efficiency of various network systems' performance. Information systems technicians provide network troubleshooting, upgrading systems for optimization, maintaining the security of databases, managing the interaction of networks, and inspecting and troubleshooting system inconsistencies. Additional duties include creating network designs based on clients' specifications, configuring software and hardware applications, and creating reports on system issues and resolutions. An information systems technician must have excellent knowledge of information systems procedures, programming languages, detecting malfunctions, and making resolutions promptly.
Technical support engineers and information systems technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Technical Support Engineer | Information Systems Technician | |
| Average salary | $85,716 | $46,346 |
| Salary range | Between $61,000 And $119,000 | Between $28,000 And $74,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Rahway, NJ |
| Highest paying state | Washington | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Meta | Simpson Thacher & Bartlett |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Government |
There are a few differences between a technical support engineer and an information systems technician in terms of educational background:
| Technical Support Engineer | Information Systems Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 50% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between technical support engineers' and information systems technicians' demographics:
| Technical Support Engineer | Information Systems Technician | |
| Average age | 42 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 83.3% Female, 16.7% | Male, 73.6% Female, 26.4% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 12.0% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |