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The differences between chief technologists and technical managers 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 technical manager takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a technical manager has an average salary of $116,619, 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 technical manager are project management, infrastructure, and architecture.
| Chief Technologist | Technical Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $105,294 | $116,619 |
| Hourly rate | $50.62 | $56.07 |
| Growth rate | 16% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 66,399 | 116,732 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Average age | 47 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 8 | 2 |
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.
A technical manager is responsible for maintaining the company's information systems database and analyzing technology system matters to ensure its efficiency and accuracy in supporting business operations. Technical managers perform network checks regularly to assess any possible malfunctions that might compromise the company's cybersecurity. They carefully analyze business and clients' specifications on working with systems integration, responding to end-users' concerns and inquiries. A technical manager must have excellent knowledge of the information technology systems industry, as well as a strong command on network codes to conduct adjustments and manage network infrastructure.
Chief technologists and technical managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Chief Technologist | Technical Manager | |
| Average salary | $105,294 | $116,619 |
| Salary range | Between $70,000 And $156,000 | Between $84,000 And $161,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Federal Deposit Insurance | A.T. Kearney |
| Best paying industry | - | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a chief technologist and a technical manager in terms of educational background:
| Chief Technologist | Technical Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Business |
| Most common college | Carnegie Mellon University | Carnegie Mellon University |
Here are the differences between chief technologists' and technical managers' demographics:
| Chief Technologist | Technical Manager | |
| Average age | 47 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 77.7% Female, 22.3% | Male, 83.7% Female, 16.3% |
| 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, 8.0% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 6.4% White, 65.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 14% |