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The differences between park aides and program leads can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a park aide, becoming a program lead takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a program lead has an average salary of $100,727, which is higher than the $28,379 average annual salary of a park aide.
The top three skills for a park aide include GRASS, general grounds and various maintenance. The most important skills for a program lead are project management, HR, and work ethic.
| Park Aide | Program Lead | |
| Yearly salary | $28,379 | $100,727 |
| Hourly rate | $13.64 | $48.43 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 41,113 | 61,632 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 47% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 4 |
A park aide is an administrative or grounds support staff in a park whose duties will vary according to the department in which they are posted. Park aides working in customer service interact with visitors to guide and give information or tour guides. Those working on the grounds may be assigned conservation and recreational duties or cleaning, while those in administration will be responsible for a variety of administrative roles such as working on outreach programs, visitor registration, or revenue collection.
A program lead is responsible for managing a business program's operation from its conceptualization to implementation. Program leads must have excellent communication and researching skills to monitor current industry trends, adjusting program techniques and strategies to meet society's demands. They have a clear understanding of the organization's long-term goals and outline plans to define those objectives, bringing new programs to light following clients' specifications that would help the business grow revenues, maintain customer satisfaction, and keep its good reputation, and achieve profitability goals.
Park aides and program leads have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Park Aide | Program Lead | |
| Average salary | $28,379 | $100,727 |
| Salary range | Between $22,000 And $35,000 | Between $59,000 And $171,000 |
| Highest paying City | Las Vegas, NV | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Rhode Island | New York |
| Best paying company | Washington State University | Netflix |
| Best paying industry | Hospitality | - |
There are a few differences between a park aide and a program lead in terms of educational background:
| Park Aide | Program Lead | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 47% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Most common major | Environmental Science | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between park aides' and program leads' demographics:
| Park Aide | Program Lead | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 56.5% Female, 43.5% | Male, 40.9% Female, 59.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 0.8% Unknown, 3.2% Hispanic or Latino, 2.5% Asian, 1.4% White, 90.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3% | Black or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 15.5% Asian, 5.1% White, 62.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |