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The differences between senior officers and specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-8 years to become a senior officer, becoming a specialist takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a senior officer has an average salary of $72,721, which is higher than the $58,013 average annual salary of a specialist.
The top three skills for a senior officer include real estate, professional development and SR. The most important skills for a specialist are patients, customer service, and work ethic.
| Senior Officer | Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $72,721 | $58,013 |
| Hourly rate | $34.96 | $27.89 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 84,196 | 358,433 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Average age | 46 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 8 | 2 |
The duties of a senior officer depend on their line of work or industry of employment. Typically, as a senior officer, it is their duty to supervise and coordinate staff, set goals and guidelines, manage budgets and schedules, gather and analyze data, and produce progress reports, presenting them to managers or executives. They may also address issues and concerns, resolving them promptly and efficiently. Furthermore, a senior officer must lead and encourage staff to reach goals while implementing the organization's policies and regulations.
Specialists are employees who are responsible for specific tasks or activities in the department they are assigned to. The actions or tasks they work on are related to their educational background or work experiences. They are usually highly skilled in specializations related to the work they are assigned to. Specialists are also highly trained on the competencies that are required of their specialty. As such, they are focused on the skills and competencies that are needed to enhance their experience in their specific field further.
Senior officers and specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Officer | Specialist | |
| Average salary | $72,721 | $58,013 |
| Salary range | Between $39,000 And $134,000 | Between $32,000 And $104,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Jersey City, NJ |
| Highest paying state | New York | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Finance | - |
There are a few differences between a senior officer and a specialist in terms of educational background:
| Senior Officer | Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between senior officers' and specialists' demographics:
| Senior Officer | Specialist | |
| Average age | 46 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 67.6% Female, 32.4% | Male, 47.5% Female, 52.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.4% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 10.0% White, 63.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 10.5% White, 55.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |