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The differences between security specialists and protection security officers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a security specialist has an average salary of $49,892, which is higher than the $35,926 average annual salary of a protection security officer.
The top three skills for a security specialist include ladders, security incidents and physical security. The most important skills for a protection security officer are patrol, safety hazards, and law enforcement.
| Security Specialist | Protection Security Officer | |
| Yearly salary | $49,892 | $35,926 |
| Hourly rate | $23.99 | $17.27 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 96,226 | 122,427 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 48% | Bachelor's Degree, 37% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A security specialist is responsible for maintaining the security of an organization's database, ensuring that it's free from cyber threats and unusual activities. Security specialists' duties include upgrading hardware and software applications, configuring networks to improve optimization, addressing any unauthorized access on the database, troubleshooting system discrepancies, conducting security audits on the system, and improving automated processes. A security specialist must have a strong command of programming languages and system codes, as well as broad experience with technical expertise.
A protection security officer is responsible for maintaining the safety and security within the premises to protect the employees and company assets. Protection security officers inspect the facilities and patrol around the building to identify unusual activities and monitor suspicious people. They also check surveillance equipment and escalate incident reports to the security team for immediate actions to prevent potential hazards and operational delays. A protection security officer must have excellent communication and observational skills, especially in assisting and verifying the identity of guests and checking their luggage upon arrival.
Security specialists and protection security officers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Security Specialist | Protection Security Officer | |
| Average salary | $49,892 | $35,926 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $98,000 | Between $26,000 And $49,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | New York | Washington |
| Best paying company | Okta | National Renewable Energy Laboratory |
| Best paying industry | - | Utilities |
There are a few differences between a security specialist and a protection security officer in terms of educational background:
| Security Specialist | Protection Security Officer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 48% | Bachelor's Degree, 37% |
| Most common major | Criminal Justice | Criminal Justice |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between security specialists' and protection security officers' demographics:
| Security Specialist | Protection Security Officer | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 74.0% Female, 26.0% | Male, 83.1% Female, 16.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 13.5% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 19.2% Asian, 5.8% White, 54.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6% | Black or African American, 13.7% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 19.5% Asian, 6.6% White, 53.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |