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The differences between sustainability specialists and specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a sustainability specialist, becoming a specialist takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a specialist has an average salary of $58,013, which is higher than the $49,602 average annual salary of a sustainability specialist.
The top three skills for a sustainability specialist include HVAC, renewable energy and logistics. The most important skills for a specialist are patients, customer service, and work ethic.
| Sustainability Specialist | Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $49,602 | $58,013 |
| Hourly rate | $23.85 | $27.89 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 23,059 | 358,433 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 55% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Average age | 44 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 2 |
Sustainability specialists are professionals who are responsible for designing and executing programs on energy and resource conservation that will reduce the impact of an organization on the environment. These specialists must determine how the organization can operate in an environmentally responsible way by combining their business expertise and environmental factors. They are required to seek business solutions that will not have any adverse effect in the future by prioritizing renewable energy sources. Sustainability specialists must also help the management to make effective decisions through reports and cost-benefit analysis of proposals.
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.
Sustainability specialists and specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Sustainability Specialist | Specialist | |
| Average salary | $49,602 | $58,013 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $80,000 | Between $32,000 And $104,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | Jersey City, NJ |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Microsoft | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Finance | - |
There are a few differences between a sustainability specialist and a specialist in terms of educational background:
| Sustainability Specialist | Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 55% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between sustainability specialists' and specialists' demographics:
| Sustainability Specialist | Specialist | |
| Average age | 44 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 41.2% Female, 58.8% | Male, 47.5% Female, 52.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 8.8% White, 70.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | 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% |