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The differences between chief technologists and chief scientists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-8 years to become a chief technologist, becoming a chief scientist takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a chief scientist has an average salary of $108,046, which is higher than the $105,294 average annual salary of a chief technologist.
The top three skills for a chief technologist include patients, patient care and infrastructure. The most important skills for a chief scientist are DOD, RF, and IC.
| Chief Technologist | Chief Scientist | |
| Yearly salary | $105,294 | $108,046 |
| Hourly rate | $50.62 | $51.95 |
| Growth rate | 16% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 66,399 | 60,741 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Average age | 47 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 8 | 4 |
Chief technologists or chief technical officers deal with the technological needs of a company's research and development. They study the long and short-term effects of investments to help other organizations reach their individual technological goals. These technologists are required to have advanced knowledge in IT and analytical skills to excel in this position. They represent their company in academic, industrial, and government groups to publicize their organization and to collect valuable data for their research.
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.
Chief technologists and chief scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Chief Technologist | Chief Scientist | |
| Average salary | $105,294 | $108,046 |
| Salary range | Between $70,000 And $156,000 | Between $69,000 And $168,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Federal Deposit Insurance | Uber Technologies |
| Best paying industry | - | Technology |
There are a few differences between a chief technologist and a chief scientist in terms of educational background:
| Chief Technologist | Chief Scientist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Physics |
| Most common college | Carnegie Mellon University | Duke University |
Here are the differences between chief technologists' and chief scientists' demographics:
| Chief Technologist | Chief Scientist | |
| Average age | 47 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 77.7% Female, 22.3% | Male, 86.1% Female, 13.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.6% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 10.0% Asian, 12.7% White, 65.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 8% |