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The differences between programming specialists and workforce development 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 programming specialist and a workforce development specialist. Additionally, a programming specialist has an average salary of $55,521, which is higher than the $43,666 average annual salary of a workforce development specialist.
The top three skills for a programming specialist include social work, customer service and veterans. The most important skills for a workforce development specialist are social services, training programs, and HR.
| Programming Specialist | Workforce Development Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $55,521 | $43,666 |
| Hourly rate | $26.69 | $20.99 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 39,636 | 80,041 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A programming specialist is responsible for the overall planning and supervising of programs, mostly in a non-profit organization. It is a programming specialist's job to allocate and manage the budget, hire staff, train volunteers, and ensure that goals are met. It is also their duty to devise strategies and come up with materials that would raise awareness for the program and its cause. Furthermore, a programming specialist is in charge of reaching out to people who will be a valuable asset for the program, such as speakers and educators.
A workforce development specialist is responsible for designing and conducting training and development programs to significantly improve organizational and individual performance. You will perform a few duties that include evaluating training delivery modes, such as virtual or in-person to optimize training effectiveness and costs, developing, obtaining, or organizing training guides and procedure manuals, and coordinating the placement of trainees. As a workforce development specialist, you also have to choose and assign training instructors and negotiating contracts with clients.
Programming specialists and workforce development specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Programming Specialist | Workforce Development Specialist | |
| Average salary | $55,521 | $43,666 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $86,000 | Between $28,000 And $66,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Roseville, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Meta | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Transportation |
There are a few differences between a programming specialist and a workforce development specialist in terms of educational background:
| Programming Specialist | Workforce Development Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between programming specialists' and workforce development specialists' demographics:
| Programming Specialist | Workforce Development Specialist | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 30.7% Female, 69.3% | Male, 33.6% Female, 66.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.8% Unknown, 6.3% Hispanic or Latino, 17.2% Asian, 5.9% White, 58.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 6.3% Hispanic or Latino, 16.9% Asian, 5.8% White, 58.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 12% |