Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between child life specialists and information technology technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a child life specialist, becoming an information technology technician takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a child life specialist has an average salary of $55,201, which is higher than the $49,031 average annual salary of an information technology technician.
The top three skills for a child life specialist include patients, child development and patient care. The most important skills for an information technology technician are customer service, troubleshoot, and technical support.
| Child Life Specialist | Information Technology Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $55,201 | $49,031 |
| Hourly rate | $26.54 | $23.57 |
| Growth rate | 12% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 90,517 | 118,881 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Average age | 43 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 2 |
The job of a child life specialist is to help children and their families navigate the process of injury, illness, trauma, hospitalization, and disability. These health care professionals perform varied duties that include helping children and their families better understand the procedure and process of their medical experience. They also work on developing strategies to lessen the trauma and improve their understanding of a diagnosis by providing support, guidance, and information to family members. They are also expected to work closely with other members of the health care team in coordinating and managing care.
An information technology technician, also known as an IT technician, is responsible for ensuring that all computer systems in a company or organization are running smoothly and efficiently. Their duties primarily revolve around installing and maintaining systems, including software and hardware, and resolving any issues. They also provide technical support such as troubleshooting, navigation, and even system upgrades. Furthermore, an information technology technician can choose whether to work for a company or independently.
Child life specialists and information technology technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Child Life Specialist | Information Technology Technician | |
| Average salary | $55,201 | $49,031 |
| Salary range | Between $31,000 And $96,000 | Between $28,000 And $83,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Urban Honolulu, HI |
| Highest paying state | California | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | L.E.K. Consulting | Cravath |
| Best paying industry | - | Finance |
There are a few differences between a child life specialist and an information technology technician in terms of educational background:
| Child Life Specialist | Information Technology Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between child life specialists' and information technology technicians' demographics:
| Child Life Specialist | Information Technology Technician | |
| Average age | 43 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 24.9% Female, 75.1% | Male, 84.8% Female, 15.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 15.6% Asian, 7.0% White, 60.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.8% | Black or African American, 10.9% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 11.8% White, 55.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |