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The differences between instructional design specialists and learning specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an instructional design specialist and a learning specialist. Additionally, a learning specialist has an average salary of $57,035, which is higher than the $54,282 average annual salary of an instructional design specialist.
The top three skills for an instructional design specialist include instructional design, subject matter experts and powerpoint. The most important skills for a learning specialist are customer service, professional development, and project management.
| Instructional Design Specialist | Learning Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $54,282 | $57,035 |
| Hourly rate | $26.10 | $27.42 |
| Growth rate | 7% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 44,814 | 38,229 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
An instructional design specialist is responsible for developing instructional materials mainly used for training and education. Among their responsibilities include identifying and understanding the program or project's needs, performing extensive research and analysis, consulting with experts, devising training and assessment plans, and ensuring that all instructional materials adhere to a program or project's objectives. Moreover, as an instructional design specialist, it is essential to maintain an active communication line with staff while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
Learning specialists are highly skilled teachers providing educational support to students who struggle academically at schools. They are responsible for working closely with students and their parents to develop a learning strategy suitable for a student's learning style to improve their grades and academic progress. Other responsibilities of a learning specialist include educating teachers and parents on learning differences, communicating with teachers and parents regularly about a student's progress, and keeping abreast of current teaching methods.
Instructional design specialists and learning specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Instructional Design Specialist | Learning Specialist | |
| Average salary | $54,282 | $57,035 |
| Salary range | Between $39,000 And $74,000 | Between $37,000 And $87,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Newark, NJ |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Baker Hughes | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Insurance |
There are a few differences between an instructional design specialist and a learning specialist in terms of educational background:
| Instructional Design Specialist | Learning Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between instructional design specialists' and learning specialists' demographics:
| Instructional Design Specialist | Learning Specialist | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 41.4% Female, 58.6% | Male, 32.8% Female, 67.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.9% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 16.9% Asian, 5.5% White, 61.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 6.5% Hispanic or Latino, 16.1% Asian, 6.3% White, 59.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 16% | 12% |