Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between technical support engineers and systems administrators 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 systems administrator. Additionally, a technical support engineer has an average salary of $85,716, which is higher than the $77,156 average annual salary of a systems administrator.
The top three skills for a technical support engineer include technical support, customer service and troubleshoot. The most important skills for a systems administrator are linux, troubleshoot, and windows server.
| Technical Support Engineer | Systems Administrator | |
| Yearly salary | $85,716 | $77,156 |
| Hourly rate | $41.21 | $37.09 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 184,542 | 134,500 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Average age | 42 | 43 |
| 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.
Systems administrators are employees who oversee information technology infrastructures in the office. They are skilled information technology professionals who are knowledgeable about the company's network systems and other technology-related infrastructures. They are responsible for installing, configuring, or updating network systems, software, and hardware. They also monitor the different systems and troubleshoot any issues that users may encounter. Systems administrators manage the access of users, ensure the security of the network, and address any challenges that users may have. They conduct repairs and routine maintenance to ensure that the systems in place are in the best shape.
Technical support engineers and systems administrators have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Technical Support Engineer | Systems Administrator | |
| Average salary | $85,716 | $77,156 |
| Salary range | Between $61,000 And $119,000 | Between $59,000 And $100,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a technical support engineer and a systems administrator in terms of educational background:
| Technical Support Engineer | Systems Administrator | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between technical support engineers' and systems administrators' demographics:
| Technical Support Engineer | Systems Administrator | |
| Average age | 42 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 83.3% Female, 16.7% | Male, 83.9% Female, 16.1% |
| 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, 8.6% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.3% Asian, 11.5% White, 62.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 9% |