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The differences between development specialists and youth development professionals can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a development specialist and a youth development professional. Additionally, a development specialist has an average salary of $60,344, which is higher than the $43,758 average annual salary of a youth development professional.
The top three skills for a development specialist include customer service, customer satisfaction and professional development. The most important skills for a youth development professional are youth development, direct care, and productive relationships.
| Development Specialist | Youth Development Professional | |
| Yearly salary | $60,344 | $43,758 |
| Hourly rate | $29.01 | $21.04 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 97,188 | 91,372 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Average age | 44 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A development specialist is responsible for monitoring career training and programs for the employees, improving their capabilities and maximum potential to contribute to the company's growth and success. Development specialists also assist in assessing departmental operations, evaluating training needs, and facilitate skill development discussions and exercises. A development specialist helps identify business opportunities to generate more revenues for the organization and improve profitability status. A development specialist must have excellent communication and organization skills and comprehensive knowledge of human management to assist employees with their inquiries and concerns.
Youth Development Professionals are specialists in implementing and overseeing programs to help adolescents discover their abilities and interests. They are responsible for coordinating career days and field trips, organizing mentorship sessions, create youth outreach projects, and assisting community organizations in youth provision development. Other duties include supporting the training of volunteer youth workers as well as ensuring service provided adheres to professional standards and current regulations. A Youth Development Professional may specialize in a specific development sector, such as healthy living, experiential learning, or public service.
Development specialists and youth development professionals have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Development Specialist | Youth Development Professional | |
| Average salary | $60,344 | $43,758 |
| Salary range | Between $37,000 And $96,000 | Between $20,000 And $95,000 |
| Highest paying City | Edison, NJ | Jersey City, NJ |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Ropes & Gray | MUFG EMEA |
| Best paying industry | - | - |
There are a few differences between a development specialist and a youth development professional in terms of educational background:
| Development Specialist | Youth Development Professional | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Most common major | Business | Psychology |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between development specialists' and youth development professionals' demographics:
| Development Specialist | Youth Development Professional | |
| Average age | 44 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 40.5% Female, 59.5% | Male, 41.0% Female, 59.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 6.3% Hispanic or Latino, 16.7% Asian, 5.8% White, 60.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 13.4% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 2.7% White, 63.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 10% |