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The differences between course developers 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 course developer and a learning specialist. Additionally, a course developer has an average salary of $92,160, which is higher than the $57,035 average annual salary of a learning specialist.
The top three skills for a course developer include instructional design, course content and course materials. The most important skills for a learning specialist are customer service, professional development, and project management.
| Course Developer | Learning Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $92,160 | $57,035 |
| Hourly rate | $44.31 | $27.42 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 75,889 | 38,229 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A course developer specializes in developing and implementing course plans for educational programs. They are responsible for conducting industry research, conducting skills assessments to identify a company's training needs, creating plans and strategies, establishing timelines, developing programs, and securing supplies. Additionally, they must monitor the progress of a company's educational programs to make adjustments as needed.
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.
Course developers and learning specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Course Developer | Learning Specialist | |
| Average salary | $92,160 | $57,035 |
| Salary range | Between $66,000 And $128,000 | Between $37,000 And $87,000 |
| Highest paying City | Chicago, IL | Newark, NJ |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Udacity | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Insurance |
There are a few differences between a course developer and a learning specialist in terms of educational background:
| Course Developer | Learning Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Harvard University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between course developers' and learning specialists' demographics:
| Course Developer | Learning Specialist | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 51.5% Female, 48.5% | Male, 32.8% Female, 67.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 6.6% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 6.6% White, 59.9% 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 Percentage | 12% | 12% |