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The differences between developer/consultants and applications developers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a developer/consultant and an applications developer. Additionally, a developer/consultant has an average salary of $98,508, which is higher than the $89,205 average annual salary of an applications developer.
The top three skills for a developer/consultant include java, project management and javascript. The most important skills for an applications developer are java, javascript, and C++.
| Developer/Consultant | Applications Developer | |
| Yearly salary | $98,508 | $89,205 |
| Hourly rate | $47.36 | $42.89 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 257,985 | 279,877 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A developer/consultant is responsible for developing system databases and applications, depending on the business' needs and clients' specifications. Developers/consultants design their services to manage optimal performance and maximize productivity for timely submission of projects, ensuring client satisfaction and loyalty. They also handle clients' inquiries and concerns, informing them about necessary adjustments to improve strategic procedures and processes. A developer/consultant must have excellent communication and analytical skills, as well as extensive experience with the technology industry.
An application developer is responsible for creating program applications for devices based on clients' specifications and business needs. Application developers must have excellent knowledge of computer systems, as well as a strong command of programming languages to develop customized programs. Duties of an application developer also include running diagnostic tests to ensure the application's performance and stability, providing instruction manuals for reference, performing troubleshooting for any inconsistencies, upgrading design codes for optimization, and launching the application following the client's timetable.
Developer/consultants and applications developers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Developer/Consultant | Applications Developer | |
| Average salary | $98,508 | $89,205 |
| Salary range | Between $71,000 And $135,000 | Between $67,000 And $118,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Washington |
| Best paying company | Microsoft | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Finance |
There are a few differences between a developer/consultant and an applications developer in terms of educational background:
| Developer/Consultant | Applications Developer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Most common major | Business | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between developer/consultants' and applications developers' demographics:
| Developer/Consultant | Applications Developer | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 58.5% Female, 41.5% | Male, 77.0% Female, 23.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.6% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.4% Asian, 29.8% White, 52.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 4.4% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.2% Asian, 29.9% White, 52.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |