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The differences between research associates, policy and product specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a research associate, policy and a product specialist. Additionally, a product specialist has an average salary of $85,932, which is higher than the $69,079 average annual salary of a research associate, policy.
The top three skills for a research associate, policy include public policy, policy research and research projects. The most important skills for a product specialist are customer service, product knowledge, and sales floor.
| Research Associate, Policy | Product Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $69,079 | $85,932 |
| Hourly rate | $33.21 | $41.31 |
| Growth rate | 19% | 19% |
| Number of jobs | 49,112 | 103,863 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A research associate monitors the progress of research projects and coordinates information between departmental sections. They perform a wide and complex variety of assays, tests, and studies, as well as performing highly specialized and advanced experiments. Their duties and responsibilities also include preparing material for submission to departments or organizations, replying to research emails, and requesting necessary equipment.
A product specialist is required to have excellent knowledge about a product and work with a business unit to ensure excellent product delivery. Product specialists perform product demonstrations to customers and other stakeholders and assist in their promotions and product releases. To gain increased revenue, product specialists must be able to identify new market opportunities. They are required to conduct product and sales training for the marketing team. They must also provide reports about their product-related activities to the management.
Research associates, policy and product specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Research Associate, Policy | Product Specialist | |
| Average salary | $69,079 | $85,932 |
| Salary range | Between $46,000 And $102,000 | Between $56,000 And $130,000 |
| Highest paying City | Olympia, WA | San Bruno, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | RAND | ByteDance |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Technology |
There are a few differences between a research associate, policy and a product specialist in terms of educational background:
| Research Associate, Policy | Product Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Political Science | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Georgia |
Here are the differences between research associates, policy' and product specialists' demographics:
| Research Associate, Policy | Product Specialist | |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 49.3% Female, 50.7% | Male, 59.8% Female, 40.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.8% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.3% Asian, 14.3% White, 64.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 5.2% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 10.6% White, 66.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |