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The differences between fitness specialists and life skills instructors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a fitness specialist and a life skills instructor. Additionally, a fitness specialist has an average salary of $32,472, which is higher than the $30,844 average annual salary of a life skills instructor.
The top three skills for a fitness specialist include CPR, fitness assessments and ACSM. The most important skills for a life skills instructor are developmental disabilities, CPR, and kids.
| Fitness Specialist | Life Skills Instructor | |
| Yearly salary | $32,472 | $30,844 |
| Hourly rate | $15.61 | $14.83 |
| Growth rate | 19% | 19% |
| Number of jobs | 28,175 | 64,039 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 53% |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
A Fitness Specialist is focused on promoting a healthy lifestyle through exercise and working with clients in various settings. They teach individuals or groups how to properly perform exercises and use exercise equipment.
A life skills instructor advises people that are seeking support and coaching. They are responsible for helping them learn and develop skills like doing day-to-day tasks, interacting with other people, caring for themselves, as well as doing basic duties. Also, they can offer to coach for playing sports, learning new things, doing different exercises, and tips for employment.
Fitness specialists and life skills instructors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Fitness Specialist | Life Skills Instructor | |
| Average salary | $32,472 | $30,844 |
| Salary range | Between $24,000 And $42,000 | Between $21,000 And $44,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Norwich, CT |
| Highest paying state | California | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | University Settlement | University of California, Berkeley |
| Best paying industry | Education | Professional |
There are a few differences between a fitness specialist and a life skills instructor in terms of educational background:
| Fitness Specialist | Life Skills Instructor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 53% |
| Most common major | Kinesiology | Psychology |
| Most common college | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor |
Here are the differences between fitness specialists' and life skills instructors' demographics:
| Fitness Specialist | Life Skills Instructor | |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 44.8% Female, 55.2% | Male, 33.9% Female, 66.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.1% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 10.6% Asian, 5.1% White, 71.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 7.1% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 10.6% Asian, 5.1% White, 71.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 13% | 13% |