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The differences between life skills trainers and program counselors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a life skills trainer, becoming a program counselor takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a program counselor has an average salary of $43,820, which is higher than the $30,822 average annual salary of a life skills trainer.
The top three skills for a life skills trainer include medication administration, therapeutic recreation and medical appointments. The most important skills for a program counselor are developmental disabilities, patients, and community integration.
| Life Skills Trainer | Program Counselor | |
| Yearly salary | $30,822 | $43,820 |
| Hourly rate | $14.82 | $21.07 |
| Growth rate | 19% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 39,666 | 133,491 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Average age | 37 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 4 |
Life skills trainers are personal health professionals who provide training assistance and supervision to patients, such as personal care, financial management, and social integration. These trainers are required to assist their clients with disabilities with daily living activities while documenting their behaviors and personal hygiene. They can organize therapeutic activities for individuals or groups to maximize their quality of life. Life skills trainers must also assist in meal preparation as well as perform tasks that include glucose monitoring, insulin therapy, and diabetes management.
A Program Counselor is an essential part of a school's faculty. It's the counselor's responsibility to ensure that students are benefiting from the school's educational curriculum. This person is also tasked to help students resolve issues and problems that may hinder any educational progress. They are also part of the disciplinary team intended to instill good morals, ethics, and decency in students. The Program Counselor is one of the teacher or professor who has expertise or has a high educational degree in a particular subject or field.
Life skills trainers and program counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Life Skills Trainer | Program Counselor | |
| Average salary | $30,822 | $43,820 |
| Salary range | Between $22,000 And $41,000 | Between $33,000 And $58,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | - | New York |
| Best paying company | - | Russell Sage College |
| Best paying industry | - | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a life skills trainer and a program counselor in terms of educational background:
| Life Skills Trainer | Program Counselor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between life skills trainers' and program counselors' demographics:
| Life Skills Trainer | Program Counselor | |
| Average age | 37 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 33.9% Female, 66.1% | Male, 35.9% Female, 64.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.1% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 10.6% Asian, 5.1% White, 71.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 3.2% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 13% | 15% |