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The differences between technical laboratory specialists 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 technical laboratory specialist and an application specialist. Additionally, an application specialist has an average salary of $84,635, which is higher than the $59,377 average annual salary of a technical laboratory specialist.
The top three skills for a technical laboratory specialist include clinical laboratory, patients and chemistry. The most important skills for an application specialist are customer service, customer satisfaction, and technical support.
| Technical Laboratory Specialist | Application Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $59,377 | $84,635 |
| Hourly rate | $28.55 | $40.69 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 147,595 | 96,980 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A Technical Laboratory Specialist is a skilled worker who performs technical diagnostic or mechanical tests in scientific or medical laboratories. Technical laboratory specialists sample, test, measure, record, and analyze results as part of the scientific team. Their job involves technical support so that laboratories can operate effectively according to the right health and safety guidelines and procedures. For this job, one should develop administrative skills, knowledge in mathematics, use initiative, and focus on details.
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.
Technical laboratory specialists and application specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Technical Laboratory Specialist | Application Specialist | |
| Average salary | $59,377 | $84,635 |
| Salary range | Between $39,000 And $88,000 | Between $60,000 And $118,000 |
| Highest paying City | Burlingame, CA | Jersey City, NJ |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Sutter Health | Cheniere Energy |
| Best paying industry | - | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a technical laboratory specialist and an application specialist in terms of educational background:
| Technical Laboratory Specialist | Application Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Most common major | Biology | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between technical laboratory specialists' and application specialists' demographics:
| Technical Laboratory Specialist | Application Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 55.0% Female, 45.0% | Male, 53.7% Female, 46.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.7% Asian, 11.6% White, 55.0% 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% |