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The differences between operations support specialists and application support 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 operations support specialist and an application support specialist. Additionally, an application support specialist has an average salary of $81,820, which is higher than the $44,233 average annual salary of an operations support specialist.
The top three skills for an operations support specialist include operations support, customer service and data entry. The most important skills for an application support specialist are application support, customer service, and troubleshoot.
| Operations Support Specialist | Application Support Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $44,233 | $81,820 |
| Hourly rate | $21.27 | $39.34 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 176,034 | 118,322 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
The duties of an operations support specialist depend on one's line of work or industry of employment. Typically, their responsibilities revolve around addressing issues and concerns, troubleshooting, and conducting corrective measures, all while adhering to the company's policies and regulations. They may also evaluate the processes in a company, identifying vulnerabilities, and recommending improvements. Furthermore, an operations support specialist must also perform clerical tasks such as producing progress reports and presentations, arranging schedules, assessing workforce performance, and maintaining accurate records.
An application support specialist's role is to utilize their technical expertise in responding to inquiries and addressing issues and concerns, resolving them promptly and effectively. They may communicate with clients through calls or correspondence, even arrange appointments when necessary. Moreover, one may work as a member of a company or independently. As an application support specialist in a company setting, it is essential to coordinate with different department personnel, all while adhering to the company's policies and regulations.
Operations support specialists and application support specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Operations Support Specialist | Application Support Specialist | |
| Average salary | $44,233 | $81,820 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $71,000 | Between $52,000 And $127,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Cupertino, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | KLA | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Finance |
There are a few differences between an operations support specialist and an application support specialist in terms of educational background:
| Operations Support Specialist | Application Support Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between operations support specialists' and application support specialists' demographics:
| Operations Support Specialist | Application Support Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 44.0% Female, 56.0% | Male, 61.6% Female, 38.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.0% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 10.5% White, 55.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 11.5% White, 55.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |