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Career development specialist vs learning specialist

The differences between career development specialists and learning specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a career development specialist and a learning specialist. Additionally, a learning specialist has an average salary of $57,035, which is higher than the $46,744 average annual salary of a career development specialist.

The top three skills for a career development specialist include professional development, community resources and mock interviews. The most important skills for a learning specialist are customer service, professional development, and project management.

Career development specialist vs learning specialist overview

Career Development SpecialistLearning Specialist
Yearly salary$46,744$57,035
Hourly rate$22.47$27.42
Growth rate8%8%
Number of jobs63,13738,229
Job satisfaction-5
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 64%Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Average age4444
Years of experience44

What does a career development specialist do?

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.

What does a learning specialist do?

Learning specialists are highly skilled teachers providing educational support to students who struggle academically at schools. They are responsible for working closely with students and their parents to develop a learning strategy suitable for a student's learning style to improve their grades and academic progress. Other responsibilities of a learning specialist include educating teachers and parents on learning differences, communicating with teachers and parents regularly about a student's progress, and keeping abreast of current teaching methods.

Career development specialist vs learning specialist salary

Career development specialists and learning specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

Career Development SpecialistLearning Specialist
Average salary$46,744$57,035
Salary rangeBetween $32,000 And $67,000Between $37,000 And $87,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CANewark, NJ
Highest paying stateCaliforniaNew Jersey
Best paying companyBoston Consulting GroupMeta
Best paying industryEducationInsurance

Differences between career development specialist and learning specialist education

There are a few differences between a career development specialist and a learning specialist in terms of educational background:

Career Development SpecialistLearning Specialist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 64%Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeNorthwestern UniversityNorthwestern University

Career development specialist vs learning specialist demographics

Here are the differences between career development specialists' and learning specialists' demographics:

Career Development SpecialistLearning Specialist
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 28.9% Female, 71.1%Male, 32.8% Female, 67.2%
Race ratioBlack 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, 11.0% Unknown, 6.5% Hispanic or Latino, 16.1% Asian, 6.3% White, 59.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage12%12%

Differences between career development specialist and learning specialist duties and responsibilities

Career development specialist example responsibilities.

  • Lead advocacy efforts to increase employment opportunities for veterans by contacting hiring executives and encourage the hiring of disable veterans.
  • Lead advocacy efforts to increase employment opportunities for veterans by contacting hiring executives and encourage the hiring of disable veterans.
  • Develop IEP (individual employment plan) for case management and monitor customer progress during participation.

Learning specialist example responsibilities.

  • Lead strategic planning for eLearning initiatives and manage company-wide training for laboratory information system update.
  • Manage the integration of the student information system Jenzabar CX/JICS with Moodle.
  • Lead experiential learning in supervisory skills, conflict management, leadership, team building and organization process effectiveness.
  • Instruct on how to create PowerPoint presentations and debate an argument during an oral defense.
  • Develop individualized education plans for students who receive math intervention services.
  • Tutor and advise undergraduate level courses in introductory statistics and mathematics.
  • Show more

Career development specialist vs learning specialist skills

Common career development specialist skills
  • Professional Development, 17%
  • Community Resources, 9%
  • Mock Interviews, 6%
  • Support Services, 5%
  • Employment Services, 5%
  • Training Programs, 5%
Common learning specialist skills
  • Customer Service, 9%
  • Professional Development, 6%
  • Project Management, 5%
  • Subject Matter Experts, 5%
  • PowerPoint, 4%
  • Instructional Design, 4%

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