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The differences between learning 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 a learning design specialist and a learning specialist. Additionally, a learning design specialist has an average salary of $72,967, which is higher than the $57,035 average annual salary of a learning specialist.
The top three skills for a learning design specialist include blended learning, instructional design and subject matter experts. The most important skills for a learning specialist are customer service, professional development, and project management.
| Learning Design Specialist | Learning Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $72,967 | $57,035 |
| Hourly rate | $35.08 | $27.42 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 68,913 | 38,229 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A learning design specialist is responsible for creating instructional materials according to the learner's curriculum and evaluate existing educational resources for further improvements needed. Learning design specialists facilitate the development of educational software tools and technology and coordinate with the educators for testing. They also attend conferences and train instructors in utilizing learning materials. A learning design specialist must have excellent communication skills, as well as extensive knowledge of the learning practices, to recommend teaching methods based on the curriculum's standards.
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.
Learning design specialists and learning specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Learning Design Specialist | Learning Specialist | |
| Average salary | $72,967 | $57,035 |
| Salary range | Between $58,000 And $91,000 | Between $37,000 And $87,000 |
| Highest paying City | Olympia, WA | Newark, NJ |
| Highest paying state | Wyoming | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | McKinsey & Company Inc | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Hospitality | Insurance |
There are a few differences between a learning design specialist and a learning specialist in terms of educational background:
| Learning Design Specialist | Learning Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between learning design specialists' and learning specialists' demographics:
| Learning Design Specialist | Learning Specialist | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 34.3% Female, 65.7% | Male, 32.8% Female, 67.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.9% Unknown, 6.3% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 5.9% White, 60.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | 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 | 12% | 12% |