How to Become a Product Support Engineer: Your Career Guide

Companies that provide IT and software products typically provide access to product support engineers when clients need assistance. These professionals help clients with software and hardware issues via calls, emails, or help desk software.

With faster-than-average job growth and strong earning potential, product support engineer careers are great options for people who enjoy working with technology. Learn more about this job and what you may need to be successful in the role.

What do product support engineers do?

Product support engineers support clients who use a company’s products or services by providing IT help and troubleshooting. In this role, you will address and respond to issues as they occur through email, phone, or help desk communication. Once the problem is resolved, you will create reports detailing what went wrong and the solution you came up with. These reports help create more efficient and informed processes for the future. 

Product support engineers evaluate the current IT processes and identify where services can improve during the customer service experience. Product support engineer qualifications typically require a very strong computer science background, with experience using computer programming languages, remote help desk systems, and different types of IT and network software. 

Read more: 10 Entry-Level IT Jobs and What You Need to Get Started

What is product support engineering?

Product support engineering is the act of troubleshooting, solving, and recording actions taken to address issues proactively or as they happen in real-time to ensure optimal performance for clients. Some tasks often include installing applications, resolving problems, and configuring networks. 

Salary and job outlook

The job outlook for product support engineers is positive, as this role is in high demand. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that all IT positions are expected to grow faster than the average for all occupations through 2022-2032 [2]. 

According to Glassdoor, product support engineers in the US earn a total average salary of $132,963 [3]. This figure includes an average base salary of $101,688 and $31,275 in additional pay. Additional pay may represent profit-sharing, commissions, or bonuses.

As a product support engineer, you can increase your salary through different avenues that help develop expertise and skills. Some options include gaining advanced degrees, specializing in a specific field of technology, managerial responsibilities, and years spent in the role.

Responsibilities of a product support engineer

The specific responsibilities of a product support engineer vary based on the company’s needs and goals, but some typical tasks you might expect include:

• Addressing customer issues as they occur

• Fixing problems with malfunctioning software or equipment

• Developing and distributing training and process documents

• Supporting external customers with new product training

• Working with marketing, engineering, and design professionals

• Participating in product development meetings

• Providing technical support to clients through phone, email, and help desk

• Installing new software and products

• Monitoring and configuring networks for optimal performance

• Documenting error reports and actions taken to resolve issues

Taking detailed notes and reporting on any issues that arise is an essential part of a product support engineer’s job. These reports serve as troubleshooting guides and help improve processes and products for future use.

Read more: 7 In-Demand IT Skills to Boost Your Resume

Product support engineer requirements

Typically, employers will have requirements for a product support engineer, such as a strong technical and computer science background, as well as the ability to work with others and write effective reports. To gain these skills, many professionals attend a four-year college and earn a degree. However, you also have the opportunity to develop skills through online certifications and on-the-job training. 

Education 

According to Zippia, 66 percent of product support engineers have a bachelor’s degree, 17 percent have an associate degree, and 10 percent hold a master’s [1]. Mathematics, computer science, and engineering degrees are great options for learning the foundational knowledge to become a successful product support engineer.

Certifications

Certifications are also a good choice for demonstrating expertise in technical support. Having certifications is a great way to make you a more competitive candidate and can also translate into higher pay. Some certifications to consider include:

• CompTIA (A+, Network+, and Security+): This is an entry-level certification that verifies your ability to install, customize, maintain, and operate personal computers. 

• Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA): This certificate covers topics in IT support, such as networking fundamentals, automation, and security fundamentals. 

• Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL): ITIL focuses on IT service management, like managing risks, strengthening client relationships, and establishing cost-effective practices. 

Read more: 10 Essential IT Certifications

Skills

As a product support engineer, you’ll help end-users solve problems within a company’s product or software. This role requires a combination of technical and workplace skills. Some product engineer qualifications and skills you will need include:

Technical skills

• SQL and programming languages

• IT support experience

• Customer support experience

• System administration

• System and network configuration

• FTP, SaaS, and Linux experience

Workplace skills

• Attention to detail, ensuring solutions are well crafted and notes are accurately taken

• Customer service skills to help facilitate positive communication with clients

• Multitasking skills to manage several issues at once, including writing reports

• Problem-solving skills to help quickly address issues as users experience them

• Teamwork and collaboration to work with other professionals positively 

Work experience

Many businesses prefer product support engineers with four to six years of technical support experience. You can gain this experience through internships and during a four-year degree, although you will also likely need experience from working in adjacent fields. Some product support engineers are trained on specific software and products for several months after getting an entry-level position.

Career advancement

As you gain experience, you’ll likely have opportunities to advance into more senior product support engineering positions. For example, you could move into a systems engineer role and then further on to a design engineer and a design engineering manager.

Industries hiring product support engineers

Product support engineers can work in various industries, typically those that offer a product to customers that might involve IT troubleshooting and support. These industries include:

• Consumer product manufacturing

• Financial transaction processing

• Software 

• Network solutions

• Business consulting

• Banking and lending

Next steps as a product support engineer

Ready to learn foundational IT skills to become a successful product support engineer? On Coursera, there are industry-led courses that may help you acquire the skills you need for an entry-level IT job. With programs such as IBM’s IT Support Professional Certificate or Google’s Technical Support Fundamentals, you’ll learn how to compete in the product support engineering field. Upon completing either program, gain a shareable certificate to include in your resume or LinkedIn profile.