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The differences between vocational rehabilitation specialists and work counselors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a vocational rehabilitation specialist and a work counselor. Additionally, a work counselor has an average salary of $55,384, 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 work counselor are social work, discharge planning, and substance abuse.
| Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist | Work Counselor | |
| Yearly salary | $47,721 | $55,384 |
| Hourly rate | $22.94 | $26.63 |
| Growth rate | 11% | 11% |
| Number of jobs | 4,190 | 77,184 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
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.
A work counselor's responsibility is to know the employee's problems including stress, workplace depression, declining productivity, and anxiety, and help solve them by resolving negative patterns, rehabilitation, and prevention to improve quality of life. Such purpose is to reduce sickness absence and pressure. Part of their helping profession is to respect the employees' privacy by sharing information and opinions on resources that the client needs since they are not tasked to disclose information and give advice.
Vocational rehabilitation specialists and work counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist | Work Counselor | |
| Average salary | $47,721 | $55,384 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $64,000 | Between $46,000 And $66,000 |
| Highest paying City | Minneapolis, MN | Chicago, IL |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan | The Travelers Companies |
| Best paying industry | Government | Hospitality |
There are a few differences between a vocational rehabilitation specialist and a work counselor in terms of educational background:
| Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist | Work Counselor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Social Work |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Columbia University in the City of New York |
Here are the differences between vocational rehabilitation specialists' and work counselors' demographics:
| Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist | Work Counselor | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 40.5% Female, 59.5% | Male, 37.0% Female, 63.0% |
| 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, 13.7% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 10.8% Asian, 2.9% White, 66.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 21% | 21% |