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The differences between applications developers and application systems administrators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become an applications developer, becoming an application systems administrator takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, an applications developer has an average salary of $89,205, which is higher than the $85,636 average annual salary of an application systems administrator.
The top three skills for an applications developer include java, javascript and C++. The most important skills for an application systems administrator are troubleshoot, linux, and problem resolution.
| Applications Developer | Application Systems Administrator | |
| Yearly salary | $89,205 | $85,636 |
| Hourly rate | $42.89 | $41.17 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 279,877 | 141,894 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Average age | 39 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 2 |
An application developer is responsible for creating program applications for devices based on clients' specifications and business needs. Application developers must have excellent knowledge of computer systems, as well as a strong command of programming languages to develop customized programs. Duties of an application developer also include running diagnostic tests to ensure the application's performance and stability, providing instruction manuals for reference, performing troubleshooting for any inconsistencies, upgrading design codes for optimization, and launching the application following the client's timetable.
An application systems administrator manages and maintains any system, network, or application in a company. It is the primary job of a systems administrator to inspect all systems, software, and applications, determine problem areas and apply troubleshooting measures, upgrades and repairs. It is also the task of a systems administrator to regularly update programs, pinpoint bugs and problematic codes, and relay them to a programmer to have them resolved. The systems administrator is part of a company's back-end staff and focuses on the operation and maintenance of all software-based processes.
Applications developers and application systems administrators have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Applications Developer | Application Systems Administrator | |
| Average salary | $89,205 | $85,636 |
| Salary range | Between $67,000 And $118,000 | Between $65,000 And $112,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Santa Clara, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Oregon |
| Best paying company | Meta | American Tower |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Finance |
There are a few differences between an applications developer and an application systems administrator in terms of educational background:
| Applications Developer | Application Systems Administrator | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between applications developers' and application systems administrators' demographics:
| Applications Developer | Application Systems Administrator | |
| Average age | 39 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 77.0% Female, 23.0% | Male, 76.3% Female, 23.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.4% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.2% Asian, 29.9% White, 52.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.3% Asian, 12.5% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 9% |