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The differences between technical support engineers and software support technicians 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 support engineer and a software support technician. Additionally, a technical support engineer has an average salary of $85,716, which is higher than the $79,670 average annual salary of a software support technician.
The top three skills for a technical support engineer include technical support, customer service and troubleshoot. The most important skills for a software support technician are customer service, troubleshoot, and java.
| Technical Support Engineer | Software Support Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $85,716 | $79,670 |
| Hourly rate | $41.21 | $38.30 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 184,542 | 117,059 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
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.
A software support technician is responsible for resolving software application issues, diagnosing related system failures, and writing resolution reports for reference. Software support technicians must be highly-familiarized with the system's infrastructure and interface to immediately diagnose malfunctions and identify maintenance techniques to prevent the reoccurrence of downtimes and delays. They also assist the system engineers in the configuration and optimization of networks, including the installment of upgrades and patch updates. A software support technician must have excellent organizational and communication skills, especially in navigating computer tools and applications to create support tickets and fix the customers' issues efficiently.
Technical support engineers and software support technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Technical Support Engineer | Software Support Technician | |
| Average salary | $85,716 | $79,670 |
| Salary range | Between $61,000 And $119,000 | Between $55,000 And $113,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | RSM US |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Finance |
There are a few differences between a technical support engineer and a software support technician in terms of educational background:
| Technical Support Engineer | Software Support Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between technical support engineers' and software support technicians' demographics:
| Technical Support Engineer | Software Support Technician | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 83.3% Female, 16.7% | Male, 73.8% Female, 26.2% |
| 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, 10.6% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 12.4% White, 54.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |