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The differences between applications development specialists and development technicians 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 a development technician. Additionally, an applications development specialist has an average salary of $99,856, which is higher than the $92,109 average annual salary of a development technician.
The top three skills for an applications development specialist include java, application development and C++. The most important skills for a development technician are java, C++, and C #.
| Applications Development Specialist | Development Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $99,856 | $92,109 |
| Hourly rate | $48.01 | $44.28 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 74,373 | 82,959 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 58% |
| 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.
A development technician is an individual who manages technology development for hardware used in the server systems of an organization. Development technicians are required to organize tasks and resources so that they can complete work and meet deadlines that are according to departmental procedures. They must train production personnel on the standard operating procedures for manufacturing equipment as well as train colleagues in standard operating procedures. Development technicians must also assist Java developers in characterizing and debugging technical problems.
Applications development specialists and development technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Applications Development Specialist | Development Technician | |
| Average salary | $99,856 | $92,109 |
| Salary range | Between $78,000 And $127,000 | Between $63,000 And $134,000 |
| Highest paying City | Jersey City, NJ | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Delaware |
| Best paying company | MUFG EMEA | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Finance |
There are a few differences between an applications development specialist and a development technician in terms of educational background:
| Applications Development Specialist | Development Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 58% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between applications development specialists' and development technicians' demographics:
| Applications Development Specialist | Development Technician | |
| Average age | 44 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 72.2% Female, 27.8% | Male, 67.6% Female, 32.4% |
| 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, 4.3% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.0% Asian, 30.0% White, 52.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 8% |