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The differences between chief scientists and chief technology officers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a chief scientist, becoming a chief technology officer takes usually requires More than 10 years. Additionally, a chief technology officer has an average salary of $172,989, which is higher than the $108,046 average annual salary of a chief scientist.
The top three skills for a chief scientist include DOD, RF and IC. The most important skills for a chief technology officer are infrastructure, cloud, and architecture.
| Chief Scientist | Chief Technology Officer | |
| Yearly salary | $108,046 | $172,989 |
| Hourly rate | $51.95 | $83.17 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 60,741 | 124,289 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 41 | 52 |
| Years of experience | 4 | - |
Chief scientists supervise, plan, and budget the funds for research activities to publish their discoveries with influential publication companies. By doing commentaries with the press and media, they spread their knowledge about science to the public. They are mentors or coaches to non-professional scientists and help them build a case to get their promotion. For their subordinates to feel motivated to reach their goals when working on research projects, chief scientists must maintain a professional, creative, but engaging environment.
The job of chief technology officers (CTOs) is to oversee the technological needs and research and development of an organization. The CTOs, who are like chief information officers, make decisions for a company's technology infrastructure that aligns with the organization's business goals. They must ensure that they are updated on new and existing technologies for them to guide the company's future endeavors. Other responsibilities include fixing issues related to information technology, developing and managing the company's technological resources, and participating in management decisions on corporate governance.
Chief scientists and chief technology officers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Chief Scientist | Chief Technology Officer | |
| Average salary | $108,046 | $172,989 |
| Salary range | Between $69,000 And $168,000 | Between $105,000 And $284,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Uber Technologies | InPhonex |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Telecommunication |
There are a few differences between a chief scientist and a chief technology officer in terms of educational background:
| Chief Scientist | Chief Technology Officer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Physics | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Duke University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between chief scientists' and chief technology officers' demographics:
| Chief Scientist | Chief Technology Officer | |
| Average age | 41 | 52 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 86.1% Female, 13.9% | Male, 91.6% Female, 8.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.6% Asian, 26.4% White, 53.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 7.7% White, 76.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 12% |