How To Become A Living Specialist: What It Is and Career Path

What is a living specialist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Dr. Tommy Casarez Ph.D.

Individuals that have difficulty caring for themselves or living independently turn to living specialists for help. The duty of a living specialist is to guide clients in attaining a more independent lifestyle, which typically involves creating systems that help clients cook, clean, shop, work, and generally provide for themselves with little to no help from others. Living specialists can work with anyone who wants to live more independently, but their usual clients are those that are elderly or have some sort of disability.

Aside from designing independent living systems based on their clients' needs, these professionals also provide instructions to their clients (cleaning, cooking, managing finances, etc.) and link them to the resources that they need, such as assistance programs, health facilities, and support groups.

Since a living specialist teaches various life skills, they must be a jack-of-all-trades type of person. Moreover, they must have a deep understanding of their client's unique circumstances, particularly their physical or mental limitations.

The typical requirement for this role is a bachelor's degree in psychology, social work, or another similar major. Living specialists must also have great skills in communication, instruction, and client relations, as well as lots of patience and empathy.

What general advice would you give to a living specialist?

Dr. Tommy Casarez Ph.D.

Dr., Assistant Professor of Historical and Systematic Theology, Vanguard University

Opportunities come in many different shapes and sizes, but they are still out there. Whether you are seeking to land a job in education or the non-profit sector, you will need to familiarize yourself and get used to all things digital, for the sake of communicating effectively. The younger your student or service partner's mindset, the more digitally savvy you will need to be, especially in the classroom and in the non-profit world.

ScoreLiving SpecialistUS Average

Salary

2.9

Avg. Salary $36,759

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.9

Growth rate 12%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

10.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.61%

Asian 6.79%

Black or African American 10.23%

Hispanic or Latino 16.15%

Unknown 4.66%

White 60.56%

Gender

female 70.47%

male 29.53%

Age - 43

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43

Stress level

8.9

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.1

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.2

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a living specialist

Explore living specialist education requirements

Most common living specialist degrees

Bachelor's

54.0 %

Associate

19.0 %

Master's

11.0 %

Start to develop specific living specialist skills

Skills	Percentages
Independent Living	13.32%
Community Resources	8.93%
Autism	8.19%
CPR	7.87%
Mental Health	6.71%

Complete relevant living specialist training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New living specialists learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a living specialist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real living specialist resumes.

Research living specialist duties and responsibilities

Ensure the facilities' mission are achieved by effectively supervising the mental health rehabilitative efforts of severely and chronically ill patients.
Conduct comprehensive care assessments to determine client eligibility for Medicaid fund home health assistance.
Provide education and vocational counseling for the individual and/or their family members and significant others to ensure healthy lifestyles and rehabilitation.
Collaborate with community health councils and other community agencies to provide programs that enhance community awareness of health and safety.

Prepare your living specialist resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your living specialist resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a living specialist resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable living specialist resume templates

Build a professional living specialist resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your living specialist resume.