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The differences between personal advocates and activity assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a personal advocate and an activity assistant. Additionally, a personal advocate has an average salary of $36,577, which is higher than the $29,611 average annual salary of an activity assistant.
The top three skills for a personal advocate include mental health, inbound calls and social work. The most important skills for an activity assistant are patients, home health, and rehabilitation.
| Personal Advocate | Activity Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $36,577 | $29,611 |
| Hourly rate | $17.59 | $14.24 |
| Growth rate | 12% | 12% |
| Number of jobs | 70,768 | 25,038 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 41% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
Personal advocates must have skills in communication, collaboration, and presentation. They also need a bachelor's or associate's degree in a health-related discipline, and their salary may range from $55K to over $100K per year depending on their degree. Personal advocates encourage and facilitate customer choices and support these choices in order to promote independence and personal growth.
Activity assistants are the ones who organize and execute activities in different settings, including recreation centers, camps, cruise ships, and retirement or nursing homes. They design programs to encourage physical activity, increase socialization, deliver continuing education, and provide entertainment. They are also the ones who handle logistics, select and demonstrate activities, maintain proper equipment, and ensure the safety of participants. They can work full-time, part-time, or seasonally in different settings depending on the kind of clients that they cater to.
Personal advocates and activity assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Personal Advocate | Activity Assistant | |
| Average salary | $36,577 | $29,611 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $45,000 | Between $23,000 And $37,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | New York | Maine |
| Best paying company | Cigna | Smithsonian Institution |
| Best paying industry | Insurance | - |
There are a few differences between a personal advocate and an activity assistant in terms of educational background:
| Personal Advocate | Activity Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 41% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Business |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | California State University - Fullerton |
Here are the differences between personal advocates' and activity assistants' demographics:
| Personal Advocate | Activity Assistant | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 14.0% Female, 86.0% | Male, 16.8% Female, 83.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.7% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 18.1% Asian, 6.1% White, 60.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.7% | Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 18.4% Asian, 6.0% White, 57.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |