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The differences between planning specialists and specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a planning specialist, becoming a specialist takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a planning specialist has an average salary of $69,170, which is higher than the $58,013 average annual salary of a specialist.
The top three skills for a planning specialist include customer service, logistics and project management. The most important skills for a specialist are patients, customer service, and work ethic.
| Planning Specialist | Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $69,170 | $58,013 |
| Hourly rate | $33.25 | $27.89 |
| Growth rate | 28% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 31,008 | 358,433 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Average age | 41 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 2 |
A planning specialist is responsible for monitoring the project management procedures of an organization's operations, ensuring that the team meets budget goals and deadline deliverables. Planning specialists coordinate with suppliers and other third-party vendors for materials needed in the operations, as well as inspecting the efficiency and performance of equipment to prevent delays. They also manage the team's adherence to production schedule, task delegations, and output deliveries. A planning specialist must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in writing progress reports and performing other related administrative duties.
Specialists are employees who are responsible for specific tasks or activities in the department they are assigned to. The actions or tasks they work on are related to their educational background or work experiences. They are usually highly skilled in specializations related to the work they are assigned to. Specialists are also highly trained on the competencies that are required of their specialty. As such, they are focused on the skills and competencies that are needed to enhance their experience in their specific field further.
Planning specialists and specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Planning Specialist | Specialist | |
| Average salary | $69,170 | $58,013 |
| Salary range | Between $49,000 And $97,000 | Between $32,000 And $104,000 |
| Highest paying City | Rockville, MD | Jersey City, NJ |
| Highest paying state | Maryland | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Meta | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | - |
There are a few differences between a planning specialist and a specialist in terms of educational background:
| Planning Specialist | Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between planning specialists' and specialists' demographics:
| Planning Specialist | Specialist | |
| Average age | 41 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 49.5% Female, 50.5% | Male, 47.5% Female, 52.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.2% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 19.6% Asian, 11.3% White, 52.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 10.5% White, 55.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 11% |