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The differences between quality assurances and quality assurance associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a quality assurance and a quality assurance associate. Additionally, a quality assurance associate has an average salary of $61,473, which is higher than the $51,313 average annual salary of a quality assurance.
The top three skills for a quality assurance include test cases, food handling and java. The most important skills for a quality assurance associate are excellent interpersonal, customer service, and GMP.
| Quality Assurance | Quality Assurance Associate | |
| Yearly salary | $51,313 | $61,473 |
| Hourly rate | $24.67 | $29.55 |
| Growth rate | - | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 69,366 | 62,324 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 47% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
The primary role of quality assurance specialists is to inspect the quality system's implementation and perform quality assurance audits. They are responsible for monitoring and recording results from procedures and processes within manufacturing industries. They are also responsible for some other tasks, including keeping up-to-date manufacturing and auditing documentation, training less experienced QA team members, and creating standard operating procedures. To be a quality assurance specialist, you must have a high school diploma, organizational skills, and strong attention to detail.
A quality assurance associate's role is to oversee the production operations in a manufacturing plant or a similar setting, ensuring quality standards throughout the entire process. Most of the time, a quality assurance associate must perform workforce assessments, provide training to new employees, produce or approve documentation and progress reports, and collaborate with colleagues to ensure that everything is running smoothly and complies with the company's policies and regulations. Furthermore, there are instances when one must address issues and concerns, providing them with the necessary corrective measures.
Quality assurances and quality assurance associates have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Quality Assurance | Quality Assurance Associate | |
| Average salary | $51,313 | $61,473 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $92,000 | Between $44,000 And $84,000 |
| Highest paying City | Cupertino, CA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | California | New York |
| Best paying company | Meta | Citi |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Pharmaceutical |
There are a few differences between a quality assurance and a quality assurance associate in terms of educational background:
| Quality Assurance | Quality Assurance Associate | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 47% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Most common major | Business | Accounting |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between quality assurances' and quality assurance associates' demographics:
| Quality Assurance | Quality Assurance Associate | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 55.8% Female, 44.2% | Male, 48.3% Female, 51.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 12.0% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 12.0% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |