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Soldier vs officer

The differences between soldiers and officers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an officer has an average salary of $52,506, which is higher than the $36,491 average annual salary of a soldier.

The top three skills for a soldier include us army, weapons training and teamwork. The most important skills for an officer are patrol, customer service, and public safety.

Soldier vs officer overview

SoldierOfficer
Yearly salary$36,491$52,506
Hourly rate$17.54$25.24
Growth rate3%3%
Number of jobs108114,267
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 41%Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Average age2443
Years of experience--

What does a soldier do?

A soldier is responsible for maintaining the peace and order within a society by implementing security measures and safety protocols in the area and defending the citizens from terrorism attacks. Soldiers also assist with investigations of suspicious activities and identifying defense techniques in case of battle warnings and trespassers' attacks. They should also adhere to the strict military procedures and disciplines at all times, deciding on the best action for military affairs and field operations.

What does an officer do?

An officer is responsible for managing the daily operations of the assigned area, ensuring its peace and security by monitoring and reporting unusual and suspicious activities. Officers are the ones enforcing strict safety protocols and procedures to maintain the order within the premises. They also coordinate with law enforcement agencies in conducting appropriate investigations for any violating cases. An officer must be highly-knowledgeable of the law policies, as well as possessing excellent leadership skills to manage the members under the officer's patrol.

Soldier vs officer salary

Soldiers and officers have different pay scales, as shown below.

SoldierOfficer
Average salary$36,491$52,506
Salary rangeBetween $22,000 And $58,000Between $26,000 And $103,000
Highest paying City-New York, NY
Highest paying state-New York
Best paying company-Meta
Best paying industry--

Differences between soldier and officer education

There are a few differences between a soldier and an officer in terms of educational background:

SoldierOfficer
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 41%Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common college--

Soldier vs officer demographics

Here are the differences between soldiers' and officers' demographics:

SoldierOfficer
Average age2443
Gender ratioMale, 77.5% Female, 22.5%Male, 63.9% Female, 36.1%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 14.8% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 18.0% Asian, 6.9% White, 54.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%Black or African American, 15.2% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 18.6% Asian, 6.6% White, 51.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.9%
LGBT Percentage4%6%

Differences between soldier and officer duties and responsibilities

Soldier example responsibilities.

  • Achieve NREMT and CPR certificates.
  • Lead a platoon of communication specialists within a combat engineering company.
  • Demonstrate leadership, logistics expertise, communication abilities, computer competencies, teamwork, and multitasking.
  • Organize platoon physical training daily routine.
  • Complete military basic training, leadership training and teamwork skills
  • Train and remain proficient in use of the M4, M249, M240 rifles.
  • Show more

Officer example responsibilities.

  • Lead 50 2nd lieutenants, manage schedules, and ensure timely completion of missions.
  • Achieve highest ranking of Lt.
  • Manage social media (Facebook): upload pictures, post announcements/news, update information.
  • Manage base active duty populations' compliance with USAF instructions regarding proper balance of fitness level and body fat percentage.
  • Manage training for CBRN response operations including detection and decontamination equipment.
  • Manage environmental safety occupational health compliance program, full spectrum threat response and anti terrorism programs.
  • Show more

Soldier vs officer skills

Common soldier skills
  • US Army, 28%
  • Weapons Training, 7%
  • Teamwork, 6%
  • Logistics, 6%
  • Vehicle Maintenance, 5%
  • Security Clearance, 4%
Common officer skills
  • Patrol, 19%
  • Customer Service, 18%
  • Public Safety, 10%
  • Emergency Situations, 6%
  • PowerPoint, 3%
  • CPR, 3%

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