Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between software specialists and application specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a software specialist, becoming an application specialist takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, an application specialist has an average salary of $84,635, which is higher than the $84,009 average annual salary of a software specialist.
The top three skills for a software specialist include C++, C # and database. The most important skills for an application specialist are customer service, customer satisfaction, and technical support.
| Software Specialist | Application Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $84,009 | $84,635 |
| Hourly rate | $40.39 | $40.69 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 264,307 | 96,980 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Average age | 39 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 2 |
Software Specialist designs and develops computer software and operating systems, establishing policies and protocols to ensure quality and data security. They function as a member of a company or an organization's information technology department. They also utilize their expertise by assessing and reviewing existing software, identifying its strengths and weaknesses, implementing solutions against vulnerable areas. Most of the time, a software specialist directly communicates with clients to determine their software needs and preferences, regularly coordinating to ensure client satisfaction and smooth workflow.
An application specialist is responsible for maintaining the optimal performance of system applications, ensuring smooth navigation by upgrading the features of existing applications, and performing multiple diagnostic tests before releasing the applications to the digital marketplace. Application specialists work closely with the design engineers to improve system codes, verify the efficiency of network infrastructure, and adjusting application functions based on the clients' specifications and business' needs. They should always consider the budget goals, target end-users, and current market trends to design applications, meeting users' demands and public interests.
Software specialists and application specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Software Specialist | Application Specialist | |
| Average salary | $84,009 | $84,635 |
| Salary range | Between $60,000 And $115,000 | Between $60,000 And $118,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Jersey City, NJ |
| Highest paying state | New York | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | American Express | Cheniere Energy |
| Best paying industry | Telecommunication | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a software specialist and an application specialist in terms of educational background:
| Software Specialist | Application Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between software specialists' and application specialists' demographics:
| Software Specialist | Application Specialist | |
| Average age | 39 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 67.2% Female, 32.8% | Male, 53.7% Female, 46.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.4% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.1% Asian, 30.0% White, 52.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 10.8% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.7% Asian, 11.1% White, 55.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 11% |