Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between cobol programmers and applications programmers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-8 years to become both a cobol programmer and an applications programmer. Additionally, an applications programmer has an average salary of $85,133, which is higher than the $84,879 average annual salary of a cobol programmer.
The top three skills for a cobol programmer include SQL, COBOL and debugging. The most important skills for an applications programmer are java, C++, and database.
| Cobol Programmer | Applications Programmer | |
| Yearly salary | $84,879 | $85,133 |
| Hourly rate | $40.81 | $40.93 |
| Growth rate | -7% | -7% |
| Number of jobs | 191,455 | 215,240 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 8 | 8 |
Cobol Programmers write computer programs using COBOL. They design, create, and configure new program codes, test these computer programs to ensure they work well on the intended system, and make the required changes. They also fine-tune DB2 SQL inquiries, gather and document operating system requirements, maintain and develop COBOL, and document, implement, design, and enhance systems and computer programs. Cobol Programmers code libraries to simplify program writing, test COBOL program errors, and correct computer code faulty lines.
An application programmer is responsible for creating and designing computer systems and applications according to client specifications and business requirements. Application programmers run quality checks on the draft outputs to ensure its stability and efficiency for high-level performance. They also evaluate existing applications and recommend technical solutions to improve scalability. An application programmer must have excellent technical skills with a strong command of programming languages and system codes to determine the feasibility of applications and adjust features as needed.
Cobol programmers and applications programmers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Cobol Programmer | Applications Programmer | |
| Average salary | $84,879 | $85,133 |
| Salary range | Between $63,000 And $112,000 | Between $64,000 And $112,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Nevada | Washington |
| Best paying company | Levi, Ray & Shoup | Dropbox |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Finance |
There are a few differences between a cobol programmer and an applications programmer in terms of educational background:
| Cobol Programmer | Applications Programmer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between cobol programmers' and applications programmers' demographics:
| Cobol Programmer | Applications Programmer | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 75.3% Female, 24.7% | Male, 74.6% Female, 25.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 5.0% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.9% Asian, 15.0% White, 66.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 4.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.6% Asian, 16.4% White, 65.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |