Application support engineers work in a wide variety of industries, particularly in finance and manufacturing. These professionals often are responsible for optimizing and troubleshooting programs and devices that organizations use to perform necessary regular operations. They also might be responsible for testing the quality of products, such as software and hardware, and productivity levels associated with various devices and programs and create solutions that might improve quality.
To become an application support engineer, it is almost always necessary to have an undergraduate degree in a field such as finance. For those interested in working in the financial sector, or in electrical or computer engineering for those who would like positions in other industries. Any person who wants to become an application support engineer also should have at least five years of professional experience designing or optimizing programs in his or her industry, the ability to work in groups, excellent problem solving skills, and great communication skills.
People who become application support engineers tend to be experts with high degrees of technical knowledge in their areas of interest. To become an application support engineer, it is essential to have formal academic training in a discipline related to the work you would like to do. It also is a good idea to take any opportunities while studying to work as a research assistant or intern. Not only can these opportunities help you to become a more desirable job candidate after college, but they also can provide you with valuable real world experience and also can help you to figure out which kind of work you most prefer.
In most cases, application engineers have to be familiar with a number of different products or programs in their areas of specialization. A person who would like to become an application support engineer in the financial industry, for example, should have experience programming, optimizing, and using software that is designed to analyze and sell securities. Individuals who want to become application support engineers in the manufacturing industry, on the other hand, should have experience working with technology that is used within organizations and with programs that clients use to purchase products and services.
A person who would like to become an application support engineer should have a strong technical understanding of technology used in his or her field, but it also is essential to be able to work in teams with other support engineers, as well as with senior engineers and representatives from other departments. Individuals in this field should be able to convey complex ideas in relatively simple language. It is also important that support engineers are able to solve problems quickly and to consider input from colleagues.