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The differences between applications development specialists and applications developers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an applications development specialist and an applications developer. Additionally, an applications development specialist has an average salary of $99,856, which is higher than the $89,205 average annual salary of an applications developer.
The top three skills for an applications development specialist include java, application development and C++. The most important skills for an applications developer are java, javascript, and C++.
| Applications Development Specialist | Applications Developer | |
| Yearly salary | $99,856 | $89,205 |
| Hourly rate | $48.01 | $42.89 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 74,373 | 279,877 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Average age | 44 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
An applications development specialist focuses on the design and coding of an application or software for a company. The development specialist's job is to determine the most efficient method to develop a program without sacrificing quality. It is also the position's task to ensure that a program is a solution to its needs and other problems identified through feedback from employees. The applications development specialist is also part of the backend team and can work alongside the research and development department when creating new software to be sold to the market.
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.
Applications development specialists and applications developers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Applications Development Specialist | Applications Developer | |
| Average salary | $99,856 | $89,205 |
| Salary range | Between $78,000 And $127,000 | Between $67,000 And $118,000 |
| Highest paying City | Jersey City, NJ | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Washington |
| Best paying company | MUFG EMEA | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Finance |
There are a few differences between an applications development specialist and an applications developer in terms of educational background:
| Applications Development Specialist | Applications Developer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between applications development specialists' and applications developers' demographics:
| Applications Development Specialist | Applications Developer | |
| Average age | 44 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 72.2% Female, 27.8% | Male, 77.0% Female, 23.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.9% Unknown, 6.8% Hispanic or Latino, 14.3% Asian, 7.0% White, 60.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 8% |