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The differences between vocational specialists and youth counselors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a vocational specialist has an average salary of $37,486, which is higher than the $36,754 average annual salary of a youth counselor.
The top three skills for a vocational specialist include rehabilitation, social work and crisis intervention. The most important skills for a youth counselor are direct care, mental health, and crisis intervention.
| Vocational Specialist | Youth Counselor | |
| Yearly salary | $37,486 | $36,754 |
| Hourly rate | $18.02 | $17.67 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 12% |
| Number of jobs | 33,643 | 78,461 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 58% |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Years of experience | - | 4 |
Vocational Specialists are responsible for assisting individuals in finding out their career choices. They interview clients to assess their skills, job history, and personality. Their duties include matching a client's education, training, interests, and experiences to an available job position. They organize aptitude tests to assist the client make career options. They also help with résumé preparation or modification, maintaining client records, arranging reports, and correspondence. Vocal Specialists give support for individuals in times of layoffs or job losses.
A Youth Counselor's role is to provide guidance and interact with children or teenagers in need of care and counseling. The duty of a Youth Counselor is diverse, and it highly depends on the organization or employer. However, the responsibilities mostly revolve around establishing rapport with the youngster while trying to work on their issues, ensuring their welfare by monitoring their emotional and physical state, coordinating with families or other facilities, suggesting treatments, and performing crisis intervention if necessary.
Vocational specialists and youth counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Vocational Specialist | Youth Counselor | |
| Average salary | $37,486 | $36,754 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $46,000 | Between $27,000 And $49,000 |
| Highest paying City | Pittsburg, CA | San Jose, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | New York State Restaurant Association | New York State Restaurant Association |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Professional |
There are a few differences between a vocational specialist and a youth counselor in terms of educational background:
| Vocational Specialist | Youth Counselor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 58% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between vocational specialists' and youth counselors' demographics:
| Vocational Specialist | Youth Counselor | |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 31.7% Female, 68.3% | Male, 43.8% Female, 56.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 3.7% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% | Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 3.2% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 15% |