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The differences between application engineers and development engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both an application engineer and a development engineer. Additionally, a development engineer has an average salary of $93,206, which is higher than the $92,921 average annual salary of an application engineer.
The top three skills for an application engineer include technical support, java and C++. The most important skills for a development engineer are java, python, and software development.
| Application Engineer | Development Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $92,921 | $93,206 |
| Hourly rate | $44.67 | $44.81 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 111,338 | 224,881 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 44 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
An application engineer is responsible for creating and re-designing system applications based on clients' specifications and sales demands. Application engineers run diagnostic tests on software programs, identify areas of improvement, install necessary updates, upgrade optimization, revise system codes, and provide technical support for customers' needs. They also generate ideas and locate other business opportunities by analyzing current trends in the technology market that would help build revenues and increase profitability for the company. An application engineer must have a strong command of programming languages, software application processes, and general technology disciplines.
A Development Engineer is responsible for the development and validation of products, systems, and components. They are also responsible for quality control of work and continuous improvement of engineer activities.
Application engineers and development engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Application Engineer | Development Engineer | |
| Average salary | $92,921 | $93,206 |
| Salary range | Between $69,000 And $125,000 | Between $70,000 And $122,000 |
| Highest paying City | Redwood City, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | Morgan Lewis | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between an application engineer and a development engineer in terms of educational background:
| Application Engineer | Development Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Georgia Institute of Technology | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between application engineers' and development engineers' demographics:
| Application Engineer | Development Engineer | |
| Average age | 44 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 87.4% Female, 12.6% | Male, 85.5% Female, 14.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 1.4% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 6.7% Asian, 11.5% White, 74.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 16.7% White, 67.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 5% |