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The differences between fitness specialists and skills trainers 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 skills trainer. Additionally, a skills trainer has an average salary of $32,779, which is higher than the $32,472 average annual salary of a fitness specialist.
The top three skills for a fitness specialist include CPR, fitness assessments and ACSM. The most important skills for a skills trainer are money management, adaptive, and independent living.
| Fitness Specialist | Skills Trainer | |
| Yearly salary | $32,472 | $32,779 |
| Hourly rate | $15.61 | $15.76 |
| Growth rate | 19% | 19% |
| Number of jobs | 28,175 | 21,389 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| 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.
Skills Trainers are responsible for creating and teaching courses that are specialized for employees of an organization. Their duties include conducting initial analysis through questionnaires, surveys, and focus groups, create program budgeting, design training courses, organize the class schedule, produce study materials, and implement trial run. They track key performance metrics, create progress reports, and continuously improve training methodologies to deliver better results. Skills Trainers also work with outside vendors in using instructional technology to facilitate teaching.
Fitness specialists and skills trainers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Fitness Specialist | Skills Trainer | |
| Average salary | $32,472 | $32,779 |
| Salary range | Between $24,000 And $42,000 | Between $25,000 And $42,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Grand Forks, ND |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | University Settlement | Four County |
| Best paying industry | Education | Hospitality |
There are a few differences between a fitness specialist and a skills trainer in terms of educational background:
| Fitness Specialist | Skills Trainer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| 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 skills trainers' demographics:
| Fitness Specialist | Skills Trainer | |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 44.8% Female, 55.2% | Male, 34.9% Female, 65.1% |
| 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% |