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The differences between academic guidance specialists and academic advisers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an academic guidance specialist has an average salary of $50,630, which is higher than the $46,729 average annual salary of an academic adviser.
The top three skills for an academic guidance specialist include professional development, social work and student retention. The most important skills for an academic adviser are customer service, student services, and financial aid.
| Academic Guidance Specialist | Academic Adviser | |
| Yearly salary | $50,630 | $46,729 |
| Hourly rate | $24.34 | $22.47 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 18,180 | 23,208 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
An academic guidance specialist conducts individual planning, interviews, and aptitude assessments to evaluate learners' interests and abilities. They identify issues affecting the student's performance, like not attending all classes. Besides working with parents, administrators, and teachers to help learners succeed, academic guidance specialists also help learners create a program to attain career goals and academic objectives. They help learners develop skills like effective learning habits, time management abilities, and organizational abilities. Moreover, these professionals maintain records as needed.
An academic adviser is responsible for managing the students' educational goals and future career aspirations by encouraging them to join scholastic activities, conducting one-on-one discussions to identify their challenges and areas of improvement, and developing educational plans to address possible difficulties. Academic advisers also monitor the students' interests and abilities for a career setting, track the students' progress, and create engaging activities to observe the students' personal and social behavior. An academic adviser must have excellent communication skills and extensive knowledge of teaching principles and disciplines to handle different personalities.
Academic guidance specialists and academic advisers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Academic Guidance Specialist | Academic Adviser | |
| Average salary | $50,630 | $46,729 |
| Salary range | Between $34,000 And $74,000 | Between $35,000 And $62,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Michigan State University | New York Film Academy |
| Best paying industry | Education | Government |
There are a few differences between an academic guidance specialist and an academic adviser in terms of educational background:
| Academic Guidance Specialist | Academic Adviser | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between academic guidance specialists' and academic advisers' demographics:
| Academic Guidance Specialist | Academic Adviser | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 31.7% Female, 68.3% | Male, 35.3% Female, 64.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 3.7% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% | Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 3.7% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |