Aquarist vs pet care associate

The differences between aquarists and pet care associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-3 months to become both an aquarist and a pet care associate. Additionally, a pet care associate has an average salary of $35,635, which is higher than the $32,605 average annual salary of an aquarist.

The top three skills for an aquarist include animal husbandry, scuba and water chemistry. The most important skills for a pet care associate are PET, customer service, and sales floor.

Aquarist vs pet care associate overview

	Aquarist	Pet Care Associate
Yearly salary	$32,605	$35,635
Hourly rate	$15.68	$17.13
Growth rate	28%	28%
Number of jobs	737	84,256
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 84%	Bachelor's Degree, 38%
Average age	32	32
Years of experience	3	3

Aquarist vs pet care associate salary

Aquarists and pet care associates have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Aquarist	Pet Care Associate
Average salary	$32,605	$35,635
Salary range	Between $22,000 And $48,000	Between $26,000 And $48,000
Highest paying City	-	Minneapolis, MN
Highest paying state	-	Oregon
Best paying company	-	Purr'n Pooch
Best paying industry	-	Retail

Differences between aquarist and pet care associate education

There are a few differences between an aquarist and a pet care associate in terms of educational background:

	Aquarist	Pet Care Associate
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 84%	Bachelor's Degree, 38%
Most common major	Biology	Biology
Most common college	University of California, Berkeley	Northwestern University

Aquarist vs pet care associate demographics

Here are the differences between aquarists' and pet care associates' demographics:

	Aquarist	Pet Care Associate
Average age	32	32
Gender ratio	Male, 43.3% Female, 56.7%	Male, 24.8% Female, 75.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 6.7% Hispanic or Latino, 17.3% Asian, 2.6% White, 68.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 6.5% Hispanic or Latino, 18.3% Asian, 2.6% White, 67.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between aquarist and pet care associate duties and responsibilities

Aquarist example responsibilities.

Manage complicated water filtration systems, and implement nutrition plans for a variety of snake species.
Prepare and assist with an AZA accreditation.
Assist with first AZA accreditation process of the zoo.
Maintain facility cleanliness to meet and exceed all USDA standards.
Exceed all minimum requirements set by USDA, and assist USDA personnel during facility inspections.
Complete physical checks and monitor patients to detect unusual or harmful behavior and report observations to professional staff.

Pet care associate example responsibilities.

Achieve detailed grooming including skin, ear, nail care, coat clips and dental care.
Prepare foods for various animals to include reptiles, snakes, hamsters, and birds etc.
Communicate with customers about events/concerns in which include their pet.
Assist patients in meeting their personal care needs and provide individualized interventions while encouraging patient involvement and promoting independence.
Used touch point and SMS and can quickly adapt to other computer software's.

Aquarist vs pet care associate skills

Common aquarist skills

Animal Husbandry, 15%
Scuba, 14%
Water Chemistry, 7%
Food Preparation, 6%
Cleanliness, 6%
Life Support Systems, 5%

Common pet care associate skills

PET, 55%
Customer Service, 21%
Sales Floor, 4%
Quality Care, 3%
Administer Medications, 2%
Fish Tanks, 2%