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The differences between environmental specialists and scientists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become an environmental specialist, becoming a scientist takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a scientist has an average salary of $97,344, which is higher than the $54,482 average annual salary of an environmental specialist.
The top three skills for an environmental specialist include hazardous waste, environmental compliance and hazardous materials. The most important skills for a scientist are chemistry, data analysis, and patients.
| Environmental Specialist | Scientist | |
| Yearly salary | $54,482 | $97,344 |
| Hourly rate | $26.19 | $46.80 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 18,074 | 62,467 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Average age | 39 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
Environmental specialists are experts in natural science who are responsible for monitoring the environmental impact of a population, identifying environmental problems, and recommending measures to solve these issues. These scientists perform various duties and responsibilities that include overseeing field examinations and reporting hazard materials and locations, evaluating environmental health concerns, and investigating preparing reports related to environmental issues. Environmental specialists are also responsible for consulting with agencies or clients about an issue or situation and working with other companies to reduce pollution and waste.
A scientist is responsible for researching and analyzing the nature and complexities of the physical world to identify discoveries that would improve people's lives and ignite scientific knowledge for society. Scientists' duties differ in their different areas of expertise, but all of them must have a broad comprehension of scientific disciplines and methods to support their experiments and investigations. They collect the sample for their research, record findings, create research proposals, and release publications. A scientist must know how to utilize laboratory equipment to support the study and drive results efficiently and accurately.
Environmental specialists and scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Environmental Specialist | Scientist | |
| Average salary | $54,482 | $97,344 |
| Salary range | Between $36,000 And $80,000 | Between $67,000 And $140,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Redwood City, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Texas Instruments | Airbnb |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Technology |
There are a few differences between an environmental specialist and a scientist in terms of educational background:
| Environmental Specialist | Scientist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Most common major | Environmental Science | Chemistry |
| Most common college | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between environmental specialists' and scientists' demographics:
| Environmental Specialist | Scientist | |
| Average age | 39 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 62.6% Female, 37.4% | Male, 56.9% Female, 43.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 6.2% Asian, 5.0% White, 81.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 6.5% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 26.3% White, 53.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 16% | 8% |