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The differences between application specialists and technical 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 a technical support specialist. Additionally, an application specialist has an average salary of $84,635, which is higher than the $48,667 average annual salary of a technical support specialist.
The top three skills for an application specialist include customer service, customer satisfaction and technical support. The most important skills for a technical support specialist are customer service, technical support, and troubleshoot.
| Application Specialist | Technical Support Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $84,635 | $48,667 |
| Hourly rate | $40.69 | $23.40 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 96,980 | 157,425 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4.6 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 50% |
| 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.
A technical support specialist is responsible for assisting customer's and businesses' concerns and system issues by performing troubleshooting and remote solutions. These specialists must have extensive knowledge of system applications, including software and hardware database to handle complex processes that might affect the end user's experience or the business' daily operations. Technical support specialists should maintain excellent communication skills to guide the client and business on solving network problems. They must also document concerns and progress promptly for reference and quality checks.
Application specialists and technical support specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Application Specialist | Technical Support Specialist | |
| Average salary | $84,635 | $48,667 |
| Salary range | Between $60,000 And $118,000 | Between $30,000 And $76,000 |
| Highest paying City | Jersey City, NJ | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Cheniere Energy | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Finance |
There are a few differences between an application specialist and a technical support specialist in terms of educational background:
| Application Specialist | Technical Support Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 50% |
| Most common major | Business | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between application specialists' and technical support specialists' demographics:
| Application Specialist | Technical Support Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 53.7% Female, 46.3% | Male, 75.4% Female, 24.6% |
| 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, 11.7% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 11.3% White, 55.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |