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The differences between specialists and product specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a specialist, becoming a product specialist takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a product specialist has an average salary of $85,932, which is higher than the $58,013 average annual salary of a specialist.
The top three skills for a specialist include patients, customer service and work ethic. The most important skills for a product specialist are customer service, product knowledge, and sales floor.
| Specialist | Product Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $58,013 | $85,932 |
| Hourly rate | $27.89 | $41.31 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 19% |
| Number of jobs | 358,433 | 103,863 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 49% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 42 | 37 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 6 |
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.
A product specialist is required to have excellent knowledge about a product and work with a business unit to ensure excellent product delivery. Product specialists perform product demonstrations to customers and other stakeholders and assist in their promotions and product releases. To gain increased revenue, product specialists must be able to identify new market opportunities. They are required to conduct product and sales training for the marketing team. They must also provide reports about their product-related activities to the management.
Specialists and product specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Specialist | Product Specialist | |
| Average salary | $58,013 | $85,932 |
| Salary range | Between $32,000 And $104,000 | Between $56,000 And $130,000 |
| Highest paying City | Jersey City, NJ | San Bruno, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | California |
| Best paying company | The Citadel | ByteDance |
| Best paying industry | - | Technology |
There are a few differences between a specialist and a product specialist in terms of educational background:
| Specialist | Product Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 49% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Georgia |
Here are the differences between specialists' and product specialists' demographics:
| Specialist | Product Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 37 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 47.5% Female, 52.5% | Male, 59.8% Female, 40.2% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 5.2% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 10.6% White, 66.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 10% |