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The differences between security specialists and protection specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a protection specialist has an average salary of $76,307, which is higher than the $49,892 average annual salary of a security specialist.
The top three skills for a security specialist include ladders, security incidents and physical security. The most important skills for a protection specialist are guest service, physical security, and safety issues.
| Security Specialist | Protection Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $49,892 | $76,307 |
| Hourly rate | $23.99 | $36.69 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 96,226 | 83,627 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 48% | Bachelor's Degree, 48% |
| 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.
Protection specialists are security professionals who provide physical security and protection of the exterior and interior of their client companies' property. These specialists are required to utilize CCTV to detect and investigate fraudulent activities as well as provide security over the watch protection to prevent the loss of a company's assets. They must apprehend suspected thieves and detain them in a secure facility until the arrival of the local law enforcement officers. Protection specialists must also provide transportation and personal security for the CEO of the company, executive management, and designated other employees.
Security specialists and protection specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Security Specialist | Protection Specialist | |
| Average salary | $49,892 | $76,307 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $98,000 | Between $48,000 And $119,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | New York | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Okta | eBay |
| Best paying industry | - | - |
There are a few differences between a security specialist and a protection specialist in terms of educational background:
| Security Specialist | Protection Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 48% | Bachelor's Degree, 48% |
| Most common major | Criminal Justice | Criminal Justice |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between security specialists' and protection specialists' demographics:
| Security Specialist | Protection Specialist | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 74.0% Female, 26.0% | Male, 77.2% Female, 22.8% |
| 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, 12.4% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 22.2% Asian, 5.3% White, 53.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |