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The differences between social services specialists and child life specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a social services specialist and a child life specialist. Additionally, a child life specialist has an average salary of $55,201, which is higher than the $48,359 average annual salary of a social services specialist.
The top three skills for a social services specialist include social work, patients and substance abuse. The most important skills for a child life specialist are patients, child development, and patient care.
| Social Services Specialist | Child Life Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $48,359 | $55,201 |
| Hourly rate | $23.25 | $26.54 |
| Growth rate | 12% | 12% |
| Number of jobs | 154,022 | 90,517 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
A Social Services Specialist provides social services to children and adults in communities, facilities, institutions, or hospitals. They develop and implement specialized treatment programs.
The job of a child life specialist is to help children and their families navigate the process of injury, illness, trauma, hospitalization, and disability. These health care professionals perform varied duties that include helping children and their families better understand the procedure and process of their medical experience. They also work on developing strategies to lessen the trauma and improve their understanding of a diagnosis by providing support, guidance, and information to family members. They are also expected to work closely with other members of the health care team in coordinating and managing care.
Social services specialists and child life specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Social Services Specialist | Child Life Specialist | |
| Average salary | $48,359 | $55,201 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $65,000 | Between $31,000 And $96,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Mexico | California |
| Best paying company | McKinsey & Company Inc | L.E.K. Consulting |
| Best paying industry | Insurance | - |
There are a few differences between a social services specialist and a child life specialist in terms of educational background:
| Social Services Specialist | Child Life Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Most common major | Social Work | Psychology |
| Most common college | California State University - Dominguez Hills | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between social services specialists' and child life specialists' demographics:
| Social Services Specialist | Child Life Specialist | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 21.5% Female, 78.5% | Male, 24.9% Female, 75.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 13.5% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 15.2% Asian, 6.7% White, 57.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.2% | Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 15.6% Asian, 7.0% White, 60.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |