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The differences between operating system programmers and mainframe developers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-8 years to become both an operating system programmer and a mainframe developer. Additionally, a mainframe developer has an average salary of $90,902, which is higher than the $75,544 average annual salary of an operating system programmer.
The top three skills for an operating system programmer include CNC, technical support and calipers. The most important skills for a mainframe developer are DB2, JCL, and CICS.
| Operating System Programmer | Mainframe Developer | |
| Yearly salary | $75,544 | $90,902 |
| Hourly rate | $36.32 | $43.70 |
| Growth rate | -7% | -7% |
| Number of jobs | 31,053 | 255,034 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 76% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 8 | 8 |
Operating system programmers and mainframe developers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Operating System Programmer | Mainframe Developer | |
| Average salary | $75,544 | $90,902 |
| Salary range | Between $53,000 And $107,000 | Between $70,000 And $117,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Sacramento, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Washington |
| Best paying company | NRG Energy | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Insurance |
There are a few differences between an operating system programmer and a mainframe developer in terms of educational background:
| Operating System Programmer | Mainframe Developer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 76% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between operating system programmers' and mainframe developers' demographics:
| Operating System Programmer | Mainframe Developer | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 83.9% Female, 16.1% | Male, 73.6% Female, 26.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.6% Asian, 15.1% White, 66.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 4.1% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.3% Asian, 26.0% White, 58.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |