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The differences between support analysts and application specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a support analyst and an application specialist. Additionally, an application specialist has an average salary of $84,635, which is higher than the $75,989 average annual salary of a support analyst.
The top three skills for a support analyst include customer service, troubleshoot and technical support. The most important skills for an application specialist are customer service, customer satisfaction, and technical support.
| Support Analyst | Application Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $75,989 | $84,635 |
| Hourly rate | $36.53 | $40.69 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 107,039 | 96,980 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
The role of support analysts is to resolve problems with hardware, computer programs, and peripherals. They may focus on a particular aspect of the information technology (IT) department or give technical support to end-users. They mainly detect issues with IT equipment and software and devise solutions to resolve these issues. Also, they are responsible for answering queries from users, preparing service records, and handling escalations. Support analysts also support the company's IT operations and best practices by creating and distributing relevant IT documents.
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.
Support analysts and application specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Support Analyst | Application Specialist | |
| Average salary | $75,989 | $84,635 |
| Salary range | Between $50,000 And $114,000 | Between $60,000 And $118,000 |
| Highest paying City | Jersey City, NJ | Jersey City, NJ |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | The Citadel | Cheniere Energy |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a support analyst and an application specialist in terms of educational background:
| Support Analyst | Application Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between support analysts' and application specialists' demographics:
| Support Analyst | Application Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 63.1% Female, 36.9% | Male, 53.7% Female, 46.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.2% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.9% Asian, 12.9% White, 54.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | 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 | 11% | 11% |