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The differences between product specialists and software product managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a product specialist, becoming a software product manager takes usually requires 8-10 years. Additionally, a software product manager has an average salary of $110,785, which is higher than the $85,932 average annual salary of a product specialist.
The top three skills for a product specialist include customer service, product knowledge and sales floor. The most important skills for a software product manager are product management, software products, and software development.
| Product Specialist | Software Product Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $85,932 | $110,785 |
| Hourly rate | $41.31 | $53.26 |
| Growth rate | 19% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 103,863 | 126,167 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 37 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 10 |
A product specialist is required to have excellent knowledge about a product and work with a business unit to ensure excellent product delivery. Product specialists perform product demonstrations to customers and other stakeholders and assist in their promotions and product releases. To gain increased revenue, product specialists must be able to identify new market opportunities. They are required to conduct product and sales training for the marketing team. They must also provide reports about their product-related activities to the management.
Software product managers are individuals who lead and handle products from their inception to their phase-out. The managers establish customer value and carry out measurable benefits for business. They translate data from the discovery phase into product requirements. Understanding technology, expertise in the field, technical skills are necessary to become successful in this job. They analyze competition in the market and the factors that make it valuable.
Product specialists and software product managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Product Specialist | Software Product Manager | |
| Average salary | $85,932 | $110,785 |
| Salary range | Between $56,000 And $130,000 | Between $78,000 And $155,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Bruno, CA | Palo Alto, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | ByteDance | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a product specialist and a software product manager in terms of educational background:
| Product Specialist | Software Product Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Georgia | University of Georgia |
Here are the differences between product specialists' and software product managers' demographics:
| Product Specialist | Software Product Manager | |
| Average age | 37 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 59.8% Female, 40.2% | Male, 75.4% Female, 24.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 5.2% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 10.6% White, 66.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 3.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 74.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |