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The differences between principal technologists and information technology directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-8 years to become both a principal technologist and an information technology director. Additionally, an information technology director has an average salary of $138,906, which is higher than the $124,965 average annual salary of a principal technologist.
The top three skills for a principal technologist include java, cloud and infrastructure. The most important skills for an information technology director are customer service, project management, and cloud.
| Principal Technologist | Information Technology Director | |
| Yearly salary | $124,965 | $138,906 |
| Hourly rate | $60.08 | $66.78 |
| Growth rate | 16% | 16% |
| Number of jobs | 90,060 | 87,765 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 8 | 8 |
A principal technologist is responsible for developing and delivering innovative solutions and providing contributions technically to various projects. Your duties will include providing assistance in improving the chemical supply chain that will benefit key product units (KPU), managing and creating user accounts, directory access, and server permissions, and managing the in-house services related to the internet. In addition, you will train and educate customers on how to use certain software and hardware as requested and performing development and architecture for database, software, and infrastructure.
An information technology (IT) Director is an individual responsible for the management, strategy, and execution of an organization's IT infrastructure. He/She supervises a team of workers while working with the organization's management and external vendors and advisors. Aside from managing workers, an IT director should possess problem-solving skills and an aptitude for organizational thinking. An IT director must also identify new market opportunities and should lead an effort to improve the organization's IT process.
Principal technologists and information technology directors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Principal Technologist | Information Technology Director | |
| Average salary | $124,965 | $138,906 |
| Salary range | Between $95,000 And $163,000 | Between $97,000 And $197,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Oregon | California |
| Best paying company | Airbnb | The Tipping Point |
| Best paying industry | Telecommunication | Technology |
There are a few differences between a principal technologist and an information technology director in terms of educational background:
| Principal Technologist | Information Technology Director | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Carnegie Mellon University | Carnegie Mellon University |
Here are the differences between principal technologists' and information technology directors' demographics:
| Principal Technologist | Information Technology Director | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 83.1% Female, 16.9% | Male, 88.1% Female, 11.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.7% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 10.0% Asian, 12.8% White, 65.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 6.6% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 9.9% Asian, 12.7% White, 65.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |