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The differences between application managers and systems managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-8 years to become both an application manager and a systems manager. Additionally, an application manager has an average salary of $122,748, which is higher than the $107,156 average annual salary of a systems manager.
The top three skills for an application manager include customer service, project management and application development. The most important skills for a systems manager are customer service, project management, and patients.
| Application Manager | Systems Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $122,748 | $107,156 |
| Hourly rate | $59.01 | $51.52 |
| Growth rate | 16% | 16% |
| Number of jobs | 125,760 | 145,551 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 8 | 8 |
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.
A systems manager is responsible for monitoring the operations of the information technology department, evaluating staff performance, developing strategic procedures to maximize productivity, and identifying business opportunities that would generate more revenues and profitability for the company. Systems managers inspect company networks to ensure the efficiency of the technology systems, conducting regular diagnostic tests, and installing upgrades to boost optimization. A systems manager must have excellent knowledge of the technology industry, as well as a strong command in programming languages and system codes to maintain the security of the company's database.
Application managers and systems managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Application Manager | Systems Manager | |
| Average salary | $122,748 | $107,156 |
| Salary range | Between $93,000 And $160,000 | Between $75,000 And $152,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Roku | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Technology |
There are a few differences between an application manager and a systems manager in terms of educational background:
| Application Manager | Systems Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Carnegie Mellon University | Carnegie Mellon University |
Here are the differences between application managers' and systems managers' demographics:
| Application Manager | Systems Manager | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 71.1% Female, 28.9% | Male, 76.8% Female, 23.2% |
| 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, 6.7% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 10.1% Asian, 12.6% White, 65.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |