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The differences between requirements engineers and applications developers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a requirements engineer and an applications developer. Additionally, an applications developer has an average salary of $89,205, which is higher than the $87,170 average annual salary of a requirements engineer.
The top three skills for a requirements engineer include java, software development and powerpoint. The most important skills for an applications developer are java, javascript, and C++.
| Requirements Engineer | Applications Developer | |
| Yearly salary | $87,170 | $89,205 |
| Hourly rate | $41.91 | $42.89 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 166,444 | 279,877 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Requirements engineers are responsible for the analysis, documentation, coordination, and management of requirements regarding new software projects. They identify and understand the customer's project-specific demands and document them in a clear and binding way. Their duties and responsibilities also include preparing well-written and detailed documentation of the project and ensuring the project is designed and built within the legal parameters.
An application developer is responsible for creating program applications for devices based on clients' specifications and business needs. Application developers must have excellent knowledge of computer systems, as well as a strong command of programming languages to develop customized programs. Duties of an application developer also include running diagnostic tests to ensure the application's performance and stability, providing instruction manuals for reference, performing troubleshooting for any inconsistencies, upgrading design codes for optimization, and launching the application following the client's timetable.
Requirements engineers and applications developers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Requirements Engineer | Applications Developer | |
| Average salary | $87,170 | $89,205 |
| Salary range | Between $62,000 And $120,000 | Between $67,000 And $118,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | The Citadel | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Finance |
There are a few differences between a requirements engineer and an applications developer in terms of educational background:
| Requirements Engineer | Applications Developer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between requirements engineers' and applications developers' demographics:
| Requirements Engineer | Applications Developer | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 64.5% Female, 35.5% | Male, 77.0% Female, 23.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.6% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.3% Asian, 29.8% White, 52.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 4.4% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.2% Asian, 29.9% White, 52.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |