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The differences between personal advocates and advocates 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 advocate. Additionally, an advocate has an average salary of $39,497, which is higher than the $36,577 average annual salary of a personal advocate.
The top three skills for a personal advocate include mental health, inbound calls and social work. The most important skills for an advocate are CPR, customer service, and developmental disabilities.
| Personal Advocate | Advocate | |
| Yearly salary | $36,577 | $39,497 |
| Hourly rate | $17.59 | $18.99 |
| Growth rate | 12% | 12% |
| Number of jobs | 70,768 | 74,970 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 58% |
| 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.
An advocate is a voice for the voiceless. It is their responsibility to speak on behalf of an individual or a particular cause. Most of the duties will vary depending on the line of organization or duty involved; however, an advocate must have extensive knowledge or background on the subject matter. Furthermore, an advocate must be present at gatherings regarding the cause, assist in the negotiation and mediation processes involving contracts and legal documentation, provide or convey accurate information, and defend what they represent.
Personal advocates and advocates have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Personal Advocate | Advocate | |
| Average salary | $36,577 | $39,497 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $45,000 | Between $26,000 And $58,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | New York | New York |
| Best paying company | Cigna | Microsoft |
| Best paying industry | Insurance | Government |
There are a few differences between a personal advocate and an advocate in terms of educational background:
| Personal Advocate | Advocate | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 58% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | SUNY at Binghamton |
Here are the differences between personal advocates' and advocates' demographics:
| Personal Advocate | Advocate | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 14.0% Female, 86.0% | Male, 25.7% Female, 74.3% |
| 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, 10.8% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 21.7% Asian, 6.2% White, 54.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |