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The differences between application leads and application support specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become an application lead, becoming an application support specialist takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, an application lead has an average salary of $112,992, which is higher than the $81,820 average annual salary of an application support specialist.
The top three skills for an application lead include java, architecture and emerging technologies. The most important skills for an application support specialist are application support, customer service, and troubleshoot.
| Application Lead | Application Support Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $112,992 | $81,820 |
| Hourly rate | $54.32 | $39.34 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 163,233 | 118,322 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Average age | 43 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 2 |
A lead applications developer is in charge of directing the development department in applications design, creation, coding, debugging, and testing. Lead applications developers serve as mentors for lower-level or new software programmers or developers. They supervise the development team members in pair programming, code reviews, and good development principle promotions. Their duties include the coordination of the schedule of development staff. Also, they ensure effective communication between the team members and the other IT functions.
An application support specialist's role is to utilize their technical expertise in responding to inquiries and addressing issues and concerns, resolving them promptly and effectively. They may communicate with clients through calls or correspondence, even arrange appointments when necessary. Moreover, one may work as a member of a company or independently. As an application support specialist in a company setting, it is essential to coordinate with different department personnel, all while adhering to the company's policies and regulations.
Application leads and application support specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Application Lead | Application Support Specialist | |
| Average salary | $112,992 | $81,820 |
| Salary range | Between $86,000 And $147,000 | Between $52,000 And $127,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Cupertino, CA |
| Highest paying state | Oregon | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Meta | |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Finance |
There are a few differences between an application lead and an application support specialist in terms of educational background:
| Application Lead | Application Support Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between application leads' and application support specialists' demographics:
| Application Lead | Application Support Specialist | |
| Average age | 43 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 73.7% Female, 26.3% | Male, 61.6% Female, 38.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.5% Asian, 22.6% White, 52.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 11.5% White, 55.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 11% |