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The differences between application managers and application specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-8 years to become an application manager, becoming an application specialist takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, an application manager has an average salary of $122,748, which is higher than the $84,635 average annual salary of an application specialist.
The top three skills for an application manager include customer service, project management and application development. The most important skills for an application specialist are customer service, customer satisfaction, and technical support.
| Application Manager | Application Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $122,748 | $84,635 |
| Hourly rate | $59.01 | $40.69 |
| Growth rate | 16% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 125,760 | 96,980 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Average age | 47 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 8 | 2 |
An application manager is in charge of overseeing software applications and systems within a company, ensuring efficiency and quality. Typically, their responsibilities revolve around conducting research and analysis to identify company needs, assessing existing applications to determine their strengths and weaknesses, and implementing solutions to optimize the quality of services. They may also conduct regular maintenance checks to ensure the efficiency of applications, performing corrective measures when necessary. Furthermore, as an application manager, it is essential to coordinate with the information technology staff, encouraging them to reach goals and new heights.
An application specialist is responsible for maintaining the optimal performance of system applications, ensuring smooth navigation by upgrading the features of existing applications, and performing multiple diagnostic tests before releasing the applications to the digital marketplace. Application specialists work closely with the design engineers to improve system codes, verify the efficiency of network infrastructure, and adjusting application functions based on the clients' specifications and business' needs. They should always consider the budget goals, target end-users, and current market trends to design applications, meeting users' demands and public interests.
Application managers and application specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Application Manager | Application Specialist | |
| Average salary | $122,748 | $84,635 |
| Salary range | Between $93,000 And $160,000 | Between $60,000 And $118,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Jersey City, NJ |
| Highest paying state | California | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Roku | Cheniere Energy |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between an application manager and an application specialist in terms of educational background:
| Application Manager | Application Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Carnegie Mellon University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between application managers' and application specialists' demographics:
| Application Manager | Application Specialist | |
| Average age | 47 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 71.1% Female, 28.9% | Male, 53.7% Female, 46.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.8% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 10.2% Asian, 13.5% White, 64.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 10.8% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.7% Asian, 11.1% White, 55.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |