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The differences between software support managers and software development managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-8 years to become a software support manager, becoming a software development manager takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a software development manager has an average salary of $134,747, which is higher than the $104,045 average annual salary of a software support manager.
The top three skills for a software support manager include software support, software development and technical support. The most important skills for a software development manager are java, AWS, and architecture.
| Software Support Manager | Software Development Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $104,045 | $134,747 |
| Hourly rate | $50.02 | $64.78 |
| Growth rate | 16% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 113,869 | 265,464 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Average age | 47 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 8 | 6 |
A software support manager updates software, oversees a team, and ensures risk assessment activities are completed. They also create progress reports and manage documentation for their team. Ultimately, they manage, install, restore and debug software.
A software development manager is an individual who manages teams of software developers that design and create software applications and web services for clients. Software development managers should delegate duties and establish development standards for the development team as well as create a budget and timeline for the project. They must meet with management to discuss how software applications can achieve business objectives. Once the software has been developed, software development managers must train technical and non-technical end-users. They must also be skilled in different programming languages such as HTML, SQL, and JavaScript.
Software support managers and software development managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Software Support Manager | Software Development Manager | |
| Average salary | $104,045 | $134,747 |
| Salary range | Between $76,000 And $141,000 | Between $100,000 And $180,000 |
| Highest paying City | Foster City, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Alaska |
| Best paying company | NVIDIA | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Telecommunication | Technology |
There are a few differences between a software support manager and a software development manager in terms of educational background:
| Software Support Manager | Software Development Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Most common major | Business | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Carnegie Mellon University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between software support managers' and software development managers' demographics:
| Software Support Manager | Software Development Manager | |
| Average age | 47 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 71.0% Female, 29.0% | Male, 85.1% Female, 14.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.8% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 10.2% Asian, 12.6% White, 65.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 12.0% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |