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The differences between program developers and developers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-8 years to become a program developer, becoming a developer takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a developer has an average salary of $100,076, which is higher than the $74,749 average annual salary of a program developer.
The top three skills for a program developer include development programs, community outreach and project management. The most important skills for a developer are javascript, python, and java.
| Program Developer | Developer | |
| Yearly salary | $74,749 | $100,076 |
| Hourly rate | $35.94 | $48.11 |
| Growth rate | -7% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 128,488 | 262,570 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Average age | 47 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 8 | 4 |
A software developer is mostly responsible for the development, implementation, and design of new or modified software products or current business projects. They typically work within the IT department of a company and will be involved in coordinating with the business analysts and development managers to guarantee software projects meet standard requirements. They do complex tasks from testing to evaluating new program design, modification of existing programs, and subsequently developing these modifications. In addition, deploying software tools, maintaining and upgrading existing systems are also part of their responsibilities.
Developers are usually system or application developers in a company who work on specific projects related to networks or applications from conception to implementation. They attend planning sessions to ensure that the program is feasible. They are responsible for designing the system through coding and basic user interface design. They also work on troubleshooting any challenges that may be met at the testing stage of the program's development. They solve challenges and ensure that minimal problems will arise upon publishing the system or application. They also manage the evaluation to ensure that the program's goals are accomplished and that the end-users are satisfied with the results.
Program developers and developers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Program Developer | Developer | |
| Average salary | $74,749 | $100,076 |
| Salary range | Between $47,000 And $118,000 | Between $76,000 And $131,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | - |
| Highest paying state | Oregon | Washington |
| Best paying company | Western Digital | - |
| Best paying industry | - | Finance |
There are a few differences between a program developer and a developer in terms of educational background:
| Program Developer | Developer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Most common major | Business | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between program developers' and developers' demographics:
| Program Developer | Developer | |
| Average age | 47 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 42.6% Female, 57.4% | Male, 74.9% Female, 25.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 5.0% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 15.0% White, 66.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 4.6% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 8.4% Asian, 29.8% White, 52.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 8% |