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The differences between application specialists and database specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become an application specialist, becoming a database specialist takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, an application specialist has an average salary of $84,635, which is higher than the $77,642 average annual salary of a database specialist.
The top three skills for an application specialist include customer service, customer satisfaction and technical support. The most important skills for a database specialist are database management, database design, and database administration.
| Application Specialist | Database Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $84,635 | $77,642 |
| Hourly rate | $40.69 | $37.33 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 96,980 | 41,500 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 42 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 4 |
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.
A database specialist is responsible for ensuring the safety and security of the databases to maintain the confidentiality of data. Database specialists determine business requirements and manage multiple operating systems to build the database's efficient structures and feasibility. They also install security protection software tools and programs to prevent unauthorized access and potential leak of restricted information. A database specialist coordinates with the system engineers to improve existing databases and upgrade the network infrastructure for optimization.
Application specialists and database specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Application Specialist | Database Specialist | |
| Average salary | $84,635 | $77,642 |
| Salary range | Between $60,000 And $118,000 | Between $53,000 And $111,000 |
| Highest paying City | Jersey City, NJ | Sacramento, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Cheniere Energy | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Finance |
There are a few differences between an application specialist and a database specialist in terms of educational background:
| Application Specialist | Database Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between application specialists' and database specialists' demographics:
| Application Specialist | Database Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 53.7% Female, 46.3% | Male, 47.6% Female, 52.4% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 7.9% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 9.1% Asian, 17.8% White, 59.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 6% |