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The differences between instructional designers and technical instructors 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 designer and a technical instructor. Additionally, a technical instructor has an average salary of $68,086, which is higher than the $57,534 average annual salary of an instructional designer.
The top three skills for an instructional designer include instructional design, subject matter experts and project management. The most important skills for a technical instructor are kids, professional development, and curriculum development.
| Instructional Designer | Technical Instructor | |
| Yearly salary | $57,534 | $68,086 |
| Hourly rate | $27.66 | $32.73 |
| Growth rate | 7% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 50,321 | 103,399 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 57% |
| Average age | 44 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
An instructional designer focuses on devising learning materials and content to aid every students' learning difficulties. These can include videos, books, and presentations. They are primarily responsible for conducting thorough research and analysis to identify the needs of students, crafting learning strategies in collaboration with experts. They are also responsible for developing tools and materials to help assess every students' progress, such as quizzes and examinations. Furthermore, an instructional designer needs to coordinate with all personnel involved with the project to ensure accuracy and timeliness.
Technical instructor or trainer assists the training managers in educating and training technical employees to become competent and technically skilled workers. This job requires strong verbal communication, good teaching skills, and the ability to inspire and motivate learners since it involves skills assessments to track the progress of trainees individually. Also, a technical instructor regularly attends educational workshops and reviews publications to maintain his/her /her technical knowledge and quality service and to be able to design computer training manuals more effectively.
Instructional designers and technical instructors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Instructional Designer | Technical Instructor | |
| Average salary | $57,534 | $68,086 |
| Salary range | Between $41,000 And $79,000 | Between $43,000 And $106,000 |
| Highest paying City | Hartford, CT | Berkeley, CA |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Pace University | |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Energy |
There are a few differences between an instructional designer and a technical instructor in terms of educational background:
| Instructional Designer | Technical Instructor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 57% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Harvard University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between instructional designers' and technical instructors' demographics:
| Instructional Designer | Technical Instructor | |
| Average age | 44 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 41.8% Female, 58.2% | Male, 68.2% Female, 31.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 17.2% Asian, 5.5% White, 62.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 7.3% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 11.2% White, 65.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 16% | 16% |