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Director vs associate

The differences between directors and associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a director has an average salary of $113,489, which is higher than the $69,556 average annual salary of an associate.

The top three skills for a director include healthcare, customer service and oversight. The most important skills for an associate are customer service, sales floor, and patients.

Director vs associate overview

DirectorAssociate
Yearly salary$113,489$69,556
Hourly rate$54.56$33.44
Growth rate8%-
Number of jobs230,711569,041
Job satisfaction5-
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 64%Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Average age4041
Years of experience6-

What does a director do?

Directors work in show business, whether in a film, a television show, or a theatre production. They are responsible for bringing the material to life. They work with the writers to get a clear vision of how the production should look. They lead the production team in planning for the production, identifying filming or rehearsing schedules, casting for roles, and other aspects that need to be decided upon. Directors provide direction to the actors to ensure that the actors understand their role and will be able to effectively convey emotions to the audience. They also manage all other crew members and communicate their expectations clearly so that everyone on the set is working towards one vision.

What does an associate do?

Associates are typically entry-level positions for employees who are taking on their first job or organizational role. They are assigned to teams or departments that are related to their skills or educational background. They usually start with smaller tasks that may not seem as impactful but are still essential to the department. Associates are trained by more tenured team members on the ins and outs of the department and the organization. As they grow with the organization, they are given more responsibilities that directly impact the results of the department's initiatives as they work towards their goals.

Director vs associate salary

Directors and associates have different pay scales, as shown below.

DirectorAssociate
Average salary$113,489$69,556
Salary rangeBetween $66,000 And $192,000Between $34,000 And $140,000
Highest paying CityNew York, NYWashington, DC
Highest paying stateNew YorkNew York
Best paying companyMayo ClinicSimpson Thacher & Bartlett
Best paying industryFinance-

Differences between director and associate education

There are a few differences between a director and an associate in terms of educational background:

DirectorAssociate
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 64%Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeStanford University-

Director vs associate demographics

Here are the differences between directors' and associates' demographics:

DirectorAssociate
Average age4041
Gender ratioMale, 53.2% Female, 46.8%Male, 50.4% Female, 49.6%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 7.9% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 6.4% White, 65.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%Black or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.3% Asian, 8.3% White, 57.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage14%7%

Differences between director and associate duties and responsibilities

Director example responsibilities.

  • Manage water metering programs for NYC and national portfolio.
  • Collaborate with the CPA to manage financials and reporting / distribution to physicians.
  • Manage OEM manufacturing partners for making bulk solutions, product fills and final packaging.
  • Lead company's first deep-fill structural project, bring company into EPA compliance, establish effective QA-QC program.
  • Develop company website entirely as well as wrote and manage the SEO and upkeep for overall site maintenance.
  • Manage the company's hotel portfolio operations and assets, including renovation, new build, conversions, and rebranding.
  • Show more

Associate example responsibilities.

  • Manage the sale of smoothies at different educational institutes while interacting with hundreds of students and ensuring their happiness and satisfaction.
  • Manage customer resolutions associate with flight reservations.
  • Lead the team by exemplify reliability through punctuality and personal integrity.
  • Help drive sales by providing excellent customer service in gourmet cheese, wine, beer, and coffee departments.
  • Utilize teamwork, communication, customer service, responsibility, and organizational skills.
  • Work according to ISO standards.
  • Show more

Director vs associate skills

Common director skills
  • Healthcare, 10%
  • Customer Service, 10%
  • Oversight, 7%
  • Project Management, 6%
  • Human Resources, 4%
  • Business Development, 4%
Common associate skills
  • Customer Service, 16%
  • Sales Floor, 13%
  • Patients, 10%
  • Cleanliness, 8%
  • Windows, 4%
  • HR, 4%

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