Key operator vs data specialist

The differences between key operators and data specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a key operator and a data specialist. Additionally, a data specialist has an average salary of $68,326, which is higher than the $36,162 average annual salary of a key operator.

The top three skills for a key operator include data entry, xerox and photoshop. The most important skills for a data specialist are data analysis, data entry, and data collection.

Key operator vs data specialist overview

	Key Operator	Data Specialist
Yearly salary	$36,162	$68,326
Hourly rate	$17.39	$32.85
Growth rate	-8%	9%
Number of jobs	39,708	100,301
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 33%	Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	2	2

Key operator vs data specialist salary

Key operators and data specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Key Operator	Data Specialist
Average salary	$36,162	$68,326
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $44,000	Between $40,000 And $116,000
Highest paying City	-	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	-	Connecticut
Best paying company	-	McKinsey & Company Inc
Best paying industry	-	Manufacturing

Differences between key operator and data specialist education

There are a few differences between a key operator and a data specialist in terms of educational background:

	Key Operator	Data Specialist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 33%	Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Key operator vs data specialist demographics

Here are the differences between key operators' and data specialists' demographics:

	Key Operator	Data Specialist
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 52.0% Female, 48.0%	Male, 40.6% Female, 59.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.7% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 21.9% Asian, 9.4% White, 52.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 19.5% Asian, 9.9% White, 56.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	5%	5%

Differences between key operator and data specialist duties and responsibilities

Key operator example responsibilities.

Manage the master calendar and schedule resources such as communication equipment, weapons, transportation and ammunition forecast and delivery.
Perform bindery functions using spiral, velo, and GBC bindery equipment.
Complete bindery for print jobs including cutting, folding, drilling and collating.
Perform one or more bindery operation such as collating, shrink-wrap, lamination, paper cutting and stock.
Balance general ledger accounts, verify accuracy and enter transactions into CRT.
Monitor combat missions through satellite and computer global positioning systems in order to prepare accurate reports for unit commanders.

Data specialist example responsibilities.

Manage the FAA's classify operations program.
Manage and prepare pharmaceutical records for multiple FDA audits.
Create UNIX and LINUX shell scripts to automate data migration process.
Create packages in SSIS to automate importing text files into a data mart.
Participate in data profiling activities and lead root cause / impact analysis sessions.
Manage offshore developers to support DBA operations.

Key operator vs data specialist skills

Common key operator skills

Data Entry, 24%
Xerox, 12%
Photoshop, 8%
Computer System, 5%
Customer Orders, 3%
Windows, 3%

Common data specialist skills

Data Analysis, 7%
Data Entry, 7%
Data Collection, 7%
Customer Service, 7%
Data Management, 6%
Visualization, 6%