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The differences between applications technicians and application 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 applications technician and an application specialist. Additionally, an applications technician has an average salary of $87,091, which is higher than the $84,635 average annual salary of an application specialist.
The top three skills for an applications technician include troubleshoot, technical support and customer satisfaction. The most important skills for an application specialist are customer service, customer satisfaction, and technical support.
| Applications Technician | Application Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $87,091 | $84,635 |
| Hourly rate | $41.87 | $40.69 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 88,812 | 96,980 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 48% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Applications technicians are professionals who are responsible for providing technical support to the team that is involved in developing business systems applications. These technicians must possess understanding and knowledge in software applications so that they can help users by conducting software training and compiling training manuals. They are required to perform troubleshooting procedures for the propriety business applications and services of the company. Applications technicians must also conduct testing for development trials of their applications.
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.
Applications technicians and application specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Applications Technician | Application Specialist | |
| Average salary | $87,091 | $84,635 |
| Salary range | Between $59,000 And $126,000 | Between $60,000 And $118,000 |
| Highest paying City | Sunnyvale, CA | Jersey City, NJ |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Occidental Petroleum | Cheniere Energy |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between an applications technician and an application specialist in terms of educational background:
| Applications Technician | Application Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 48% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between applications technicians' and application specialists' demographics:
| Applications Technician | Application Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 67.7% Female, 32.3% | Male, 53.7% Female, 46.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.6% Asian, 10.6% White, 56.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |