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The differences between vocational rehabilitation specialists and specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a vocational rehabilitation 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 $47,721 average annual salary of a vocational rehabilitation specialist.
The top three skills for a vocational rehabilitation specialist include rehabilitation, community resources and independent living. The most important skills for a specialist are patients, customer service, and work ethic.
| Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist | Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $47,721 | $58,013 |
| Hourly rate | $22.94 | $27.89 |
| Growth rate | 11% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 4,190 | 358,433 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Average age | 45 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 2 |
A vocational rehabilitation specialist helps clients suffering from disabilities, impairments, or injuries with employment opportunities. Their job is to critically assess their clients' interests and problems and to use that to figure out the perfect position that would be a great fit for their capabilities. Their job may also involve the evaluation of employees who wish to return to work to determine if they can do so and how best to go about it.
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.
Vocational rehabilitation specialists and specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist | Specialist | |
| Average salary | $47,721 | $58,013 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $64,000 | Between $32,000 And $104,000 |
| Highest paying City | Minneapolis, MN | Jersey City, NJ |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Government | - |
There are a few differences between a vocational rehabilitation specialist and a specialist in terms of educational background:
| Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist | Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between vocational rehabilitation specialists' and specialists' demographics:
| Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist | Specialist | |
| Average age | 45 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 40.5% Female, 59.5% | Male, 47.5% Female, 52.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 13.7% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 10.8% Asian, 2.9% White, 66.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.7% | 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 | 21% | 11% |