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The differences between prevention specialists and specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a prevention specialist, becoming a specialist takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a specialist has an average salary of $58,013, which is higher than the $49,353 average annual salary of a prevention specialist.
The top three skills for a prevention specialist include social work, patients and mental health. The most important skills for a specialist are patients, customer service, and work ethic.
| Prevention Specialist | Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $49,353 | $58,013 |
| Hourly rate | $23.73 | $27.89 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 21,954 | 358,433 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Average age | 49 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 2 |
Prevention specialists are professionals who are work with at-risk youth by conducting education about substance abuse and other high-risk activities. These specialists must plan and implement programs in schools or communities to encourage young adults to have a drug and alcohol-free lifestyle. They are required to work with families who are involved with child abuse and domestic violence while facilitating training for rape crisis workers. Prevention specialists must also provide education on mental health promotion by conducting assessments to individuals and families.
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.
Prevention specialists and specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Prevention Specialist | Specialist | |
| Average salary | $49,353 | $58,013 |
| Salary range | Between $33,000 And $73,000 | Between $32,000 And $104,000 |
| Highest paying City | Mentor, OH | Jersey City, NJ |
| Highest paying state | Maine | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | AbbVie | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Finance | - |
There are a few differences between a prevention specialist and a specialist in terms of educational background:
| Prevention Specialist | Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Business |
| Most common college | California State University - Bakersfield | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between prevention specialists' and specialists' demographics:
| Prevention Specialist | Specialist | |
| Average age | 49 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 33.1% Female, 66.9% | Male, 47.5% Female, 52.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 5.8% Unknown, 7.3% Hispanic or Latino, 11.7% Asian, 1.2% White, 72.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.8% | 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 | 18% | 11% |