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The differences between application specialists and operations support specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an application specialist and an operations support specialist. Additionally, an application specialist has an average salary of $84,635, which is higher than the $44,233 average annual salary of an operations support specialist.
The top three skills for an application specialist include customer service, customer satisfaction and technical support. The most important skills for an operations support specialist are operations support, customer service, and data entry.
| Application Specialist | Operations Support Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $84,635 | $44,233 |
| Hourly rate | $40.69 | $21.27 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 96,980 | 176,034 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 57% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
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.
The duties of an operations support specialist depend on one's line of work or industry of employment. Typically, their responsibilities revolve around addressing issues and concerns, troubleshooting, and conducting corrective measures, all while adhering to the company's policies and regulations. They may also evaluate the processes in a company, identifying vulnerabilities, and recommending improvements. Furthermore, an operations support specialist must also perform clerical tasks such as producing progress reports and presentations, arranging schedules, assessing workforce performance, and maintaining accurate records.
Application specialists and operations support specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Application Specialist | Operations Support Specialist | |
| Average salary | $84,635 | $44,233 |
| Salary range | Between $60,000 And $118,000 | Between $27,000 And $71,000 |
| Highest paying City | Jersey City, NJ | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Cheniere Energy | KLA |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Automotive |
There are a few differences between an application specialist and an operations support specialist in terms of educational background:
| Application Specialist | Operations Support Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 57% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between application specialists' and operations support specialists' demographics:
| Application Specialist | Operations Support Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 53.7% Female, 46.3% | Male, 44.0% Female, 56.0% |
| 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, 12.0% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 10.5% White, 55.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |