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The differences between technical managers and general managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a technical manager, becoming a general manager takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a technical manager has an average salary of $116,619, which is higher than the $71,581 average annual salary of a general manager.
The top three skills for a technical manager include project management, infrastructure and architecture. The most important skills for a general manager are customer service, cleanliness, and food safety.
| Technical Manager | General Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $116,619 | $71,581 |
| Hourly rate | $56.07 | $34.41 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 116,732 | 442,690 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4.25 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Average age | 40 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 6 |
A technical manager is responsible for maintaining the company's information systems database and analyzing technology system matters to ensure its efficiency and accuracy in supporting business operations. Technical managers perform network checks regularly to assess any possible malfunctions that might compromise the company's cybersecurity. They carefully analyze business and clients' specifications on working with systems integration, responding to end-users' concerns and inquiries. A technical manager must have excellent knowledge of the information technology systems industry, as well as a strong command on network codes to conduct adjustments and manage network infrastructure.
A general manager is responsible for handling the overall operations in the business. General managers manage the staff tasks efficiently, monitor the productivity and efficiency of the work environment, implement new strategies to improve the business performance, recognize the team's best efforts, and effective allocation of budget resources. A general manager must have excellent communication, decision-making, and critical-thinking skills to identify areas of improvement in handling customer complaints, connecting with vendors and other lines of businesses that will direct the company towards its successful objectives.
Technical managers and general managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Technical Manager | General Manager | |
| Average salary | $116,619 | $71,581 |
| Salary range | Between $84,000 And $161,000 | Between $40,000 And $126,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | A.T. Kearney | NVIDIA |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a technical manager and a general manager in terms of educational background:
| Technical Manager | General Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Carnegie Mellon University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between technical managers' and general managers' demographics:
| Technical Manager | General Manager | |
| Average age | 40 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 83.7% Female, 16.3% | Male, 70.7% Female, 29.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.0% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 6.4% White, 65.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.4% Asian, 6.4% White, 67.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 14% | 10% |