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The differences between professional development coordinators and learning specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a professional development coordinator and a learning specialist. Additionally, a professional development coordinator has an average salary of $77,943, which is higher than the $57,035 average annual salary of a learning specialist.
The top three skills for a professional development coordinator include powerpoint, training programs and curriculum development. The most important skills for a learning specialist are customer service, professional development, and project management.
| Professional Development Coordinator | Learning Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $77,943 | $57,035 |
| Hourly rate | $37.47 | $27.42 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 129,135 | 38,229 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A professional development coordinator spearheads activities that help professionals develop and meet their short and long-term career goals. It is their responsibility to meet with clients to identify and understand their needs and preferences, research ideal opportunities, facilitate training and workshops, and refer clients to other services when necessary. They may also perform clerical tasks such as preparing and processing documents, answering inquiries, and handling calls and correspondence. Moreover, they must manage staff while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
Learning specialists are highly skilled teachers providing educational support to students who struggle academically at schools. They are responsible for working closely with students and their parents to develop a learning strategy suitable for a student's learning style to improve their grades and academic progress. Other responsibilities of a learning specialist include educating teachers and parents on learning differences, communicating with teachers and parents regularly about a student's progress, and keeping abreast of current teaching methods.
Professional development coordinators and learning specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Professional Development Coordinator | Learning Specialist | |
| Average salary | $77,943 | $57,035 |
| Salary range | Between $47,000 And $127,000 | Between $37,000 And $87,000 |
| Highest paying City | Jersey City, NJ | Newark, NJ |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Ropes & Gray | Meta |
| Best paying industry | - | Insurance |
There are a few differences between a professional development coordinator and a learning specialist in terms of educational background:
| Professional Development Coordinator | Learning Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between professional development coordinators' and learning specialists' demographics:
| Professional Development Coordinator | Learning Specialist | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 23.9% Female, 76.1% | Male, 32.8% Female, 67.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 6.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 6.1% White, 59.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 6.5% Hispanic or Latino, 16.1% Asian, 6.3% White, 59.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 12% |