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The differences between associate managers and specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become an associate manager, becoming a specialist takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, an associate manager has an average salary of $83,246, which is higher than the $58,013 average annual salary of a specialist.
The top three skills for an associate manager include PET, POS and sales floor. The most important skills for a specialist are patients, customer service, and work ethic.
| Associate Manager | Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $83,246 | $58,013 |
| Hourly rate | $40.02 | $27.89 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 420,292 | 358,433 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Average age | 44 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 2 |
Associate managers are responsible for overseeing the support and clerical staff of the company. They recruit and train employees who perform different tasks that include greeting customers, answering phones, and faxing documents. They also perform other duties, including keeping employees' motivation, ensuring that everyone understands the company's guidelines and policies, and supervising other staff members. To be qualified as an associate manager, one should have a high school diploma, leadership skills, and a strong work ethic. One should also have the necessary computer skills, bookkeeping skills, and customer service skills.
Specialists are employees who are responsible for specific tasks or activities in the department they are assigned to. The actions or tasks they work on are related to their educational background or work experiences. They are usually highly skilled in specializations related to the work they are assigned to. Specialists are also highly trained on the competencies that are required of their specialty. As such, they are focused on the skills and competencies that are needed to enhance their experience in their specific field further.
Associate managers and specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Associate Manager | Specialist | |
| Average salary | $83,246 | $58,013 |
| Salary range | Between $55,000 And $124,000 | Between $32,000 And $104,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Jersey City, NJ |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | PayPal | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Finance | - |
There are a few differences between an associate manager and a specialist in terms of educational background:
| Associate Manager | Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between associate managers' and specialists' demographics:
| Associate Manager | Specialist | |
| Average age | 44 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 45.5% Female, 54.5% | Male, 47.5% Female, 52.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.2% Asian, 6.4% White, 67.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 10.5% White, 55.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 11% |