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The differences between youth development professionals and family support specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a youth development professional and a family support specialist. Additionally, a youth development professional has an average salary of $43,758, which is higher than the $37,343 average annual salary of a family support specialist.
The top three skills for a youth development professional include youth development, direct care and productive relationships. The most important skills for a family support specialist are social work, child abuse, and patients.
| Youth Development Professional | Family Support Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $43,758 | $37,343 |
| Hourly rate | $21.04 | $17.95 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 91,372 | 143,739 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Youth Development Professionals are specialists in implementing and overseeing programs to help adolescents discover their abilities and interests. They are responsible for coordinating career days and field trips, organizing mentorship sessions, create youth outreach projects, and assisting community organizations in youth provision development. Other duties include supporting the training of volunteer youth workers as well as ensuring service provided adheres to professional standards and current regulations. A Youth Development Professional may specialize in a specific development sector, such as healthy living, experiential learning, or public service.
A family support specialist is an individual who provides counseling and rehabilitation services to families who are facing crises so that their lives can be improved. Family support specialists conduct interviews with members of a family to determine areas that need support such as anti-social behavior, bullying, or domestic violence. They collaborate with healthcare and social professionals to evaluate caseload needs. In cases of relevant child protection, family support specialists are also required to attend court sessions.
Youth development professionals and family support specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Youth Development Professional | Family Support Specialist | |
| Average salary | $43,758 | $37,343 |
| Salary range | Between $20,000 And $95,000 | Between $24,000 And $55,000 |
| Highest paying City | Jersey City, NJ | Trenton, NJ |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | MUFG EMEA | Catholic Health East |
| Best paying industry | - | Professional |
There are a few differences between a youth development professional and a family support specialist in terms of educational background:
| Youth Development Professional | Family Support Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Hunter College of the City University of New York |
Here are the differences between youth development professionals' and family support specialists' demographics:
| Youth Development Professional | Family Support Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 41.0% Female, 59.0% | Male, 14.0% Female, 86.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 13.4% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 2.7% White, 63.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5% | Black or African American, 13.4% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 2.7% White, 63.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |