The job of technical support engineers is to provide information technology (IT) support to an organization鈥檚 customers and employees. Some tech support engineers work internally, assisting employees with computer-system-related issues, while others are outward-focused and interact solely with customers. Many technical support engineers are part of an in-house IT department, but others may work for third-party companies that provide IT support for organizations. Learn more about how to become a technical support engineer and how to qualify for the role, and discover details about the earning potential and job responsibilities of a technical support engineer.

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What is a technical support engineer?

A technical support engineer provides technical support for users of an organization鈥檚 network systems and may work to maintain them through regular testing and monitoring. Your goal in this role is to address technical issues reported by users and to resolve them. The process can involve a series of steps, from walking users through troubleshooting options over the phone, in person, or via chat to generating support tickets to document the interaction. Depending on the company, technical support engineers may work with customers or employees.听

Technical support engineer salary and job outlook

According to Glassdoor, the estimated total pay for a technical support engineer in the US is $105,000 per year []. This figure includes base salary and additional pay, which may represent profit-sharing, commissions, bonuses, or other compensation. Remember that your education level, experience, location, industry, and employer will likely affect your earnings. In this profession, earning certifications can positively affect your salary and ability to move into higher-paying positions.听

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) estimates roughly 50,500 computer support specialist jobs will be available yearly on average between 2024 and 2034 []. Computer support specialists are in-demand positions as organizations seek IT professionals to provide support to employees and customers.听

Read more: What Is a Good Salary?

Types of technical support engineers聽

As a technical support engineer, you can work under various titles and specialize in certain areas of computer tech support. Depending on the type of engineer you are, it may impact your overall earnings, duties, and responsibilities. You might need a different skill set and additional qualifications to work in certain areas of technical support. Some common types of technical support engineers include the following:聽

• Applications support engineer (ASE): Typically focuses on customer-facing software applications

• Field support engineer: A customer-facing position that addresses and resolves technical questions about a product and related issues

• Customer support engineer: A customer-facing position that involves troubleshooting, onboarding, and answering technical questions about a product or service聽

What is the job of technical support engineer? Technical support engineer duties

If you鈥檙e wondering about tech support engineer duties, they include providing IT solutions while maintaining an organization鈥檚 computer systems; this may require installing software, hardware, and network systems. These professionals must ensure the integrity of their network systems by monitoring performance and security while reporting any issues. Some common responsibilities of a technical support engineer include:

• Providing technical support: Troubleshoot, diagnose, and resolve technical issues. If the technical support engineer can鈥檛 resolve the issue, the next step is to report it and pass it along to the appropriate individual or department.

• Monitoring and maintaining computer networks: Perform regular and routine maintenance of an organization鈥檚 computer networks to ensure networks are operating properly. Technical support engineers use various monitoring tools to detect, identify, and report issues before they cause problems.

• Installing computer programs and performing system updates: Assist users in installing programs. Perform system updates and test systems to evaluate performance. Tech support engineers suggest and identify steps to improve system performance.

• Repairing and resolving technical issues: Document the issue and interaction when a hardware or software problem is identified. As a technical support engineer, you work to resolve reported problems as the final step in the troubleshooting process.听

Technical support engineer skills

To be a successful technical support engineer, it鈥檚 important to have both technical and workplace skills. Technical skills represent the practical aspects of your role, while workplace skills contribute to how productive you are in a work environment.

To be a technical support engineer, you鈥檒l need a thorough understanding of IT terminology, computer network systems, and how to help people needing IT support and assistance. The following are some skills that may be helpful to you in this role:聽

Technical skills

• Customer service

• Technical support聽

• SQL

• Linux

• System administration聽

• Network configuration聽

• Wide area networks (WANs)

• Local area networks (LANs)

• Scripting languages聽

• 奥颈苍诲辞飞蝉听

• Python and other programming languages

• Monitoring software聽

• Enterprise software and hardware聽

• Network security

Workplace skills

• 笔补迟颈别苍肠别听

• Positivity

• 笔别谤蝉别惫别谤补苍肠别听

• 颁辞尘尘耻苍颈肠补迟颈辞苍听

• 颁辞濒濒补产辞谤补迟颈辞苍听

• 罢谤辞耻产濒别蝉丑辞辞迟颈苍驳听

• Active listening聽

• Friendliness

Technical support engineer career path

A technical support engineer is often considered a mid-level role, so you鈥檒l need three to five years of relevant professional experience, according to Glassdoor. To enter this field, consider the following entry-level roles to gain experience:

• System administrator

• Technical support specialist

• Field service technician

• Computer technician

• Electronics technician

• Network technician

• Help desk technician聽

Want to advance as a technical support engineer?聽

If you鈥檙e interested in furthering your career in this field, you can pursue management roles as an IT manager, IT project manager, or senior technical support engineer. Other careers to consider with experience as a technical support engineer include information security analyst, software developer, and computer systems administrator.

贰诲耻肠补迟颈辞苍听

Most employers require at least a bachelor鈥檚 degree in computer science, electrical engineering, or a related field to become a technical support engineer. According to Zippia, 62.6 percent of tech support engineers have a bachelor鈥檚 degree, 21 percent hold an associate degree, and 9 percent have earned a 尘补蝉迟别谤鈥檚 [].

Earning advanced degrees, such as a 尘补蝉迟别谤鈥檚 degree in a related field, will likely improve your salary. Certifications are another popular avenue for improving your annual earnings in this position.听

Companies that hire for technical support engineer jobs

The need for technical support engineers spans a range of industries since many different types of organizations rely on IT professionals to maintain their computer network systems. Some of the top companies employing technical support engineers include []:

• Apple

• TP

• Salesforce

• Microsoft

• VMware

• ServiceNow

• Google

Explore technical support engineer careers and skills.

Prepare for a career in IT by exploring the Career Resources Hub. You can also expand your knowledge and build your skills by accessing these free digital resources:

• Take a quiz: Which IT Course Should You Take? Find Out in 1 Minute

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• Learn from a pro: Meet the IT Support Tech Advancing Toward a Cybersecurity Career

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