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The differences between application support specialists and applications support engineers 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 support specialist, becoming an applications support engineer takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, an applications support engineer has an average salary of $89,928, which is higher than the $81,820 average annual salary of an application support specialist.
The top three skills for an application support specialist include application support, customer service and troubleshoot. The most important skills for an applications support engineer are java, application support, and database.
| Application Support Specialist | Applications Support Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $81,820 | $89,928 |
| Hourly rate | $39.34 | $43.23 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 118,322 | 222,780 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Average age | 42 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 4 |
An application support specialist's role is to utilize their technical expertise in responding to inquiries and addressing issues and concerns, resolving them promptly and effectively. They may communicate with clients through calls or correspondence, even arrange appointments when necessary. Moreover, one may work as a member of a company or independently. As an application support specialist in a company setting, it is essential to coordinate with different department personnel, all while adhering to the company's policies and regulations.
An applications support engineer is responsible for monitoring the efficiency and optimal performance of the application and network systems to support business operations and functions. Applications support engineers work on the installation of updates, upgrade system infrastructure, and resolve technical process issues and gaps. They also analyze the condition of existing applications and modify procedures to improve stability and configuration. An applications support engineer must have excellent communication and technical skills to identify failure sources and create resolution manuals to prevent downtime reoccurrence.
Application support specialists and applications support engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Application Support Specialist | Applications Support Engineer | |
| Average salary | $81,820 | $89,928 |
| Salary range | Between $52,000 And $127,000 | Between $67,000 And $120,000 |
| Highest paying City | Cupertino, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | ICE Mortgage Technology |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Finance |
There are a few differences between an application support specialist and an applications support engineer in terms of educational background:
| Application Support Specialist | Applications Support Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Most common major | Business | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Stanford University | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between application support specialists' and applications support engineers' demographics:
| Application Support Specialist | Applications Support Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 61.6% Female, 38.4% | Male, 80.8% Female, 19.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 11.5% White, 55.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 4.4% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.1% Asian, 30.0% White, 52.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 8% |