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The differences between applications technicians and technical 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 a technical specialist. Additionally, a technical specialist has an average salary of $88,773, which is higher than the $87,091 average annual salary of an applications technician.
The top three skills for an applications technician include troubleshoot, technical support and customer satisfaction. The most important skills for a technical specialist are customer service, technical support, and patients.
| Applications Technician | Technical Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $87,091 | $88,773 |
| Hourly rate | $41.87 | $42.68 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 88,812 | 121,151 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 48% | Bachelor's Degree, 57% |
| 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.
The role of technical specialists is to provide technical support for applications and programs to staff members and customers within an organization. They train staff and customers on products and apps and offer advice on the best practices for utilizing technical programs and applications. They also design training materials to teach other staff members the most effective methods of using its technology. It is also their job to reduce company costs by looking for ways to improve productivity and lessen expenses.
Applications technicians and technical specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Applications Technician | Technical Specialist | |
| Average salary | $87,091 | $88,773 |
| Salary range | Between $59,000 And $126,000 | Between $62,000 And $126,000 |
| Highest paying City | Sunnyvale, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Delaware |
| Best paying company | Occidental Petroleum | Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Technology |
There are a few differences between an applications technician and a technical specialist in terms of educational background:
| Applications Technician | Technical Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 48% | Bachelor's Degree, 57% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between applications technicians' and technical specialists' demographics:
| Applications Technician | Technical Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 67.7% Female, 32.3% | Male, 71.2% Female, 28.8% |
| 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, 16.3% Asian, 12.5% White, 54.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |