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The differences between technical managers and product 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 product manager takes usually requires 8-10 years. Additionally, a technical manager has an average salary of $116,619, which is higher than the $111,729 average annual salary of a product manager.
The top three skills for a technical manager include project management, infrastructure and architecture. The most important skills for a product manager are product management, QA, and product strategy.
| Technical Manager | Product Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $116,619 | $111,729 |
| Hourly rate | $56.07 | $53.72 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 116,732 | 125,678 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 40 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 10 |
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 product manager is responsible for ensuring product development, providing the best marketing strategies, and effectively handling the sales and marketing team. Product managers' duties include monitoring the market trends and conditions, identifying business opportunities and plan initiatives, and collaborating the product launch process with the appropriate departments. A product manager is also responsible for generating ideas on improving product features, determining timetables and reasonable pricing, and analyzing product sales. A product manager must have excellent strategic and decision-making skills to contribute to its growth and profitability.
Technical managers and product managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Technical Manager | Product Manager | |
| Average salary | $116,619 | $111,729 |
| Salary range | Between $84,000 And $161,000 | Between $81,000 And $152,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | A.T. Kearney | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Retail |
There are a few differences between a technical manager and a product manager in terms of educational background:
| Technical Manager | Product Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Carnegie Mellon University | University of Georgia |
Here are the differences between technical managers' and product managers' demographics:
| Technical Manager | Product Manager | |
| Average age | 40 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 83.7% Female, 16.3% | Male, 65.3% Female, 34.7% |
| 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, 3.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 74.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 14% | 10% |