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The differences between quality assurance specialists and analysts 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 specialist and an analyst. Additionally, an analyst has an average salary of $73,007, which is higher than the $63,443 average annual salary of a quality assurance specialist.
The top three skills for a quality assurance specialist include GMP, patients and FDA. The most important skills for an analyst are customer service, troubleshoot, and data analysis.
| Quality Assurance Specialist | Analyst | |
| Yearly salary | $63,443 | $73,007 |
| Hourly rate | $30.50 | $35.10 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 11% |
| Number of jobs | 83,505 | 253,138 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A quality assurance specialist is an individual who is responsible for monitoring, inspecting, and proposing measures to correct and improve a company's product. Quality assurance specialists need to outline quality assurance policies and procedures, making sure that quality standards are assured. It is important that a quality assurance specialist should have strong attention to detail and is excellent in data collection. This work may require a minimum of bachelor's degree and certification to get certified.
Analysts are employees or individual contributors with a vast experience in a particular field that help the organization address challenges. They help the organization improve processes, policies, and other operations protocol by studying the current processes in place and determining the effectiveness of those processes. They also research industry trends and data to make sound inferences and recommendations on what the company should do to improve their numbers. Analysts recommend business solutions and often help the organization roll out these solutions. They ensure that the proposed action plans are effective and produce the desired results.
Quality assurance specialists and analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Quality Assurance Specialist | Analyst | |
| Average salary | $63,443 | $73,007 |
| Salary range | Between $41,000 And $97,000 | Between $53,000 And $99,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Jersey City, NJ |
| Highest paying state | Rhode Island | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Apple | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Pharmaceutical | Technology |
There are a few differences between a quality assurance specialist and an analyst in terms of educational background:
| Quality Assurance Specialist | Analyst | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between quality assurance specialists' and analysts' demographics:
| Quality Assurance Specialist | Analyst | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 42.8% Female, 57.2% | Male, 52.4% Female, 47.6% |
| 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, 7.4% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 8.5% Asian, 14.3% White, 65.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 12% |