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The differences between learning specialists and learning development 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 specialist and a learning development specialist. Additionally, a learning development specialist has an average salary of $73,541, which is higher than the $57,035 average annual salary of a learning specialist.
The top three skills for a learning specialist include customer service, professional development and project management. The most important skills for a learning development specialist are training programs, project management, and HR.
| Learning Specialist | Learning Development Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $57,035 | $73,541 |
| Hourly rate | $27.42 | $35.36 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 38,229 | 81,817 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
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.
Also called a learning specialist, a learning development specialist is someone who designs, executes, and organizes training programs. Learning development specialists see to it that the programs will help improve the performance of employees and that of organizational productivity. They design, establish, and direct employee discussions, simulations, and exercises. Also, they are the ones who prepare study guides, manuals, and text for employee training. The set of skills necessary for this job include leadership, management skills, communication skills, and attention to detail.
Learning specialists and learning development specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Learning Specialist | Learning Development Specialist | |
| Average salary | $57,035 | $73,541 |
| Salary range | Between $37,000 And $87,000 | Between $49,000 And $109,000 |
| Highest paying City | Newark, NJ | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Meta | Clifford Chance |
| Best paying industry | Insurance | Finance |
There are a few differences between a learning specialist and a learning development specialist in terms of educational background:
| Learning Specialist | Learning Development Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between learning specialists' and learning development specialists' demographics:
| Learning Specialist | Learning Development Specialist | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 32.8% Female, 67.2% | Male, 32.7% Female, 67.3% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 6.5% Hispanic or Latino, 16.1% Asian, 6.3% White, 60.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 12% |