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The differences between career development specialists and career advisors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a career development specialist has an average salary of $46,744, which is higher than the $40,067 average annual salary of a career advisor.
The top three skills for a career development specialist include professional development, community resources and mock interviews. The most important skills for a career advisor are customer service, career development, and professional development.
| Career Development Specialist | Career Advisor | |
| Yearly salary | $46,744 | $40,067 |
| Hourly rate | $22.47 | $19.26 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 63,137 | 72,536 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Average age | 44 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | - |
A career development specialist helps clients accomplish their short and long-term career goals by providing guidance and counseling. They usually meet with clients to identify their needs and career goals, conduct skills assessments, and help them connect with potential employers. They may also assist job seekers by answering inquiries, helping them develop their resumes, training them for interviews, and assisting them in their pursuit of finding new jobs. Moreover, besides providing support, a career development specialist also helps clients build their confidence and resolve issues if any arise.
A career advisor inspects the clients' career uncertainties, concerns, and aspirations and guides them through the adjacent test completion, personality, and aptitude test completion. They review the clients' educational undertaking and personal undertakings and how their manifestation can affect their job choices. Besides proposing career options congruent with the clients' substantiated insights, career advisors also inform clients about their potential skill set shortcomings and devise strategies to correct these shortcomings. Moreover, career advisors advise clients on the right way to compile and present their resumes.
Career development specialists and career advisors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Career Development Specialist | Career Advisor | |
| Average salary | $46,744 | $40,067 |
| Salary range | Between $32,000 And $67,000 | Between $30,000 And $52,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Los Angeles, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Boston Consulting Group | Emerson College |
| Best paying industry | Education | Government |
There are a few differences between a career development specialist and a career advisor in terms of educational background:
| Career Development Specialist | Career Advisor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between career development specialists' and career advisors' demographics:
| Career Development Specialist | Career Advisor | |
| Average age | 44 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 28.9% Female, 71.1% | Male, 34.1% Female, 65.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 6.3% Hispanic or Latino, 17.1% Asian, 5.9% White, 59.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | 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 | 12% | 11% |