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The differences between implementation engineers and application engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both an implementation engineer and an application engineer. Additionally, an application engineer has an average salary of $92,921, which is higher than the $88,779 average annual salary of an implementation engineer.
The top three skills for an implementation engineer include java, troubleshoot and infrastructure. The most important skills for an application engineer are technical support, java, and C++.
| Implementation Engineer | Application Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $88,779 | $92,921 |
| Hourly rate | $42.68 | $44.67 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 91,303 | 111,338 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
An implementation engineer is responsible for evaluating the company's technology solutions to support business operations and processes. Implementation engineers assist with the overall technical design concept and diagnostic tests to ensure that the features and performance meet the highest quality standards and business requirements. They also identify the systems' potential failures and develop troubleshooting reports as necessary. An implementation engineer must have excellent communication and technical skills to strategize improvements on the systems' infrastructure for optimization.
An application engineer is responsible for creating and re-designing system applications based on clients' specifications and sales demands. Application engineers run diagnostic tests on software programs, identify areas of improvement, install necessary updates, upgrade optimization, revise system codes, and provide technical support for customers' needs. They also generate ideas and locate other business opportunities by analyzing current trends in the technology market that would help build revenues and increase profitability for the company. An application engineer must have a strong command of programming languages, software application processes, and general technology disciplines.
Implementation engineers and application engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Implementation Engineer | Application Engineer | |
| Average salary | $88,779 | $92,921 |
| Salary range | Between $64,000 And $121,000 | Between $69,000 And $125,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Redwood City, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Apple | Morgan Lewis |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between an implementation engineer and an application engineer in terms of educational background:
| Implementation Engineer | Application Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Georgia Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between implementation engineers' and application engineers' demographics:
| Implementation Engineer | Application Engineer | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 83.7% Female, 16.3% | Male, 87.4% Female, 12.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 1.4% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 6.9% Asian, 10.7% White, 74.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 1.4% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 6.7% Asian, 11.5% White, 74.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |