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The differences between engineering support 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 an engineering support specialist and an application specialist. Additionally, an application specialist has an average salary of $84,635, which is higher than the $70,461 average annual salary of an engineering support specialist.
The top three skills for an engineering support specialist include engineering support, CAD and data entry. The most important skills for an application specialist are customer service, customer satisfaction, and technical support.
| Engineering Support Specialist | Application Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $70,461 | $84,635 |
| Hourly rate | $33.88 | $40.69 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 159,095 | 96,980 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
An engineering support specialist's role is vital, especially as it relates to security and databases. They ensure that all technicalities of the project, be it for the support, maintenance, or machines' operation instructions, function well. They perform troubleshooting and system updating if needed. They can also recommend ways to improve the operation by reviewing existing programs and applying new upgrades as allowed and suitable for the system. They should report any malfunctions to personnel concerned.
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.
Engineering support specialists and application specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Engineering Support Specialist | Application Specialist | |
| Average salary | $70,461 | $84,635 |
| Salary range | Between $47,000 And $104,000 | Between $60,000 And $118,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Mateo, CA | Jersey City, NJ |
| Highest paying state | Delaware | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Inc. | Cheniere Energy |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between an engineering support specialist and an application specialist in terms of educational background:
| Engineering Support Specialist | Application Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between engineering support specialists' and application specialists' demographics:
| Engineering Support Specialist | Application Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 64.3% Female, 35.7% | Male, 53.7% Female, 46.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 11.5% White, 56.5% 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% |