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What is an activist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
2 min read
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being an activist. For example, did you know that they make an average of $18.12 an hour? That's $37,694 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 12% and produce 52,400 job opportunities across the U.S.
ScoreActivistUS Average
Salary
2.9

Avg. Salary $37,694

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
8.9

Growth rate 12%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
10.0
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 2.64%

Asian 7.32%

Black or African American 13.51%

Hispanic or Latino 20.24%

Unknown 5.61%

White 50.67%

Gender

female 59.41%

male 40.59%

Age - 43
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43
Stress level
8.9

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
8.1

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance
6.2

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an activist

  1. Explore activist education requirements

    Most common activist degrees

    Bachelor's

    64.1 %

    Associate

    11.3 %

    High School Diploma

    8.0 %
  2. Start to develop specific activist skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Climate32.58%
    Grassroots21.85%
    Social Justice21.22%
    Customer Service19.96%
    Leadership1.14%
  3. Complete relevant activist training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New activists learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an activist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real activist resumes.
  4. Research activist duties and responsibilities

    • Manage local campaigns to improve the NYC public education system and perform research on school districts to gather and analyze statistics.
    • Maintain the organization's social media presence through Facebook.
    • Attend monthly meetings that emphasize women's leadership in society.
    • Supervise up to a team of 8 people at various sites around nyc for fundraising.
  5. Apply for activist jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for an activist job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first activist job

Zippi

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Average activist salary

The average activist salary in the United States is $37,694 per year or $18 per hour. Activist salaries range between $26,000 and $53,000 per year.

Average activist salary
$37,694 Yearly
$18.12 hourly

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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