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The differences between community development specialists and specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a community development specialist, becoming a specialist takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a specialist has an average salary of $58,013, which is higher than the $39,476 average annual salary of a community development specialist.
The top three skills for a community development specialist include event planning, community outreach and lead generation. The most important skills for a specialist are patients, customer service, and work ethic.
| Community Development Specialist | Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $39,476 | $58,013 |
| Hourly rate | $18.98 | $27.89 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 67,756 | 358,433 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Average age | 44 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 2 |
A community development specialist is in charge of designing and developing affordable housing programs for home buyers and shelter plans for the homeless. They typically work at government agencies, often functioning in collaboration with social services. Among their other responsibilities include performing extensive research and analysis, liaising with external parties and plan providers, finding sponsorships and fundings, and developing assessment reports. They may also assist clients by answering their inquiries, assisting them with filling out forms, gathering requirements, and explaining the extent of procedures.
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.
Community development specialists and specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Community Development Specialist | Specialist | |
| Average salary | $39,476 | $58,013 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $61,000 | Between $32,000 And $104,000 |
| Highest paying City | Trenton, NJ | Jersey City, NJ |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Fifth Third Bank | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Professional | - |
There are a few differences between a community development specialist and a specialist in terms of educational background:
| Community Development Specialist | Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between community development specialists' and specialists' demographics:
| Community Development Specialist | Specialist | |
| Average age | 44 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 31.5% Female, 68.5% | Male, 47.5% Female, 52.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 6.3% Hispanic or Latino, 17.1% Asian, 5.9% White, 58.9% 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 | 12% | 11% |