Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between computer system specialists and application specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a computer system specialist and an application specialist. Additionally, an application specialist has an average salary of $84,635, which is higher than the $71,716 average annual salary of a computer system specialist.
The top three skills for a computer system specialist include computer system, troubleshoot and CSV. The most important skills for an application specialist are customer service, customer satisfaction, and technical support.
| Computer System Specialist | Application Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $71,716 | $84,635 |
| Hourly rate | $34.48 | $40.69 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 89,673 | 96,980 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Computer system specialists are responsible for providing technical guidance in developing and troubleshooting a company's computer systems. They adjust the software to provide the database needs of every department in the company. These specialists manage the intranet and internet websites the network users can access and test for system issues to resolve. They serve as lead workers that provide supervision and training over clerical and technical staff on how the system functions. Their duties also include gathering feedback from users to update the system to provide for their needs.
An application specialist is responsible for maintaining the optimal performance of system applications, ensuring smooth navigation by upgrading the features of existing applications, and performing multiple diagnostic tests before releasing the applications to the digital marketplace. Application specialists work closely with the design engineers to improve system codes, verify the efficiency of network infrastructure, and adjusting application functions based on the clients' specifications and business' needs. They should always consider the budget goals, target end-users, and current market trends to design applications, meeting users' demands and public interests.
Computer system specialists and application specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Computer System Specialist | Application Specialist | |
| Average salary | $71,716 | $84,635 |
| Salary range | Between $50,000 And $102,000 | Between $60,000 And $118,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Jersey City, NJ |
| Highest paying state | Rhode Island | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Los Alamos National Laboratory | Cheniere Energy |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a computer system specialist and an application specialist in terms of educational background:
| Computer System Specialist | Application Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between computer system specialists' and application specialists' demographics:
| Computer System Specialist | Application Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 81.6% Female, 18.4% | Male, 53.7% Female, 46.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.8% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 10.5% White, 55.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 10.8% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.7% Asian, 11.1% White, 55.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |