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The differences between youth development professionals and youth mentors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a youth development professional, becoming a youth mentor takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a youth development professional has an average salary of $43,758, which is higher than the $32,750 average annual salary of a youth mentor.
The top three skills for a youth development professional include youth development, direct care and productive relationships. The most important skills for a youth mentor are mental health, substance abuse, and eating disorders.
| Youth Development Professional | Youth Mentor | |
| Yearly salary | $43,758 | $32,750 |
| Hourly rate | $21.04 | $15.75 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 12% |
| Number of jobs | 91,372 | 68,561 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Average age | 42 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 12 |
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.
Youth mentors are adult individuals who are responsible for creating programs to improve the well-being of young people by providing role models that can support them academically and socially. These mentors must educate the community on issues related to mental health while making regular home visits to youth and young adults. They should provide direct care and assistance to adolescents who are with substance abuse issues by creating an educational curriculum on the said topic. Youth mentors are also required to collaborate with mental health professionals and social workers to coordinate counseling efforts.
Youth development professionals and youth mentors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Youth Development Professional | Youth Mentor | |
| Average salary | $43,758 | $32,750 |
| Salary range | Between $20,000 And $95,000 | Between $26,000 And $41,000 |
| Highest paying City | Jersey City, NJ | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Maine |
| Best paying company | MUFG EMEA | LifeWorks |
| Best paying industry | - | Professional |
There are a few differences between a youth development professional and a youth mentor in terms of educational background:
| Youth Development Professional | Youth Mentor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | SUNY at Binghamton |
Here are the differences between youth development professionals' and youth mentors' demographics:
| Youth Development Professional | Youth Mentor | |
| Average age | 42 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 41.0% Female, 59.0% | Male, 47.0% Female, 53.0% |
| 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, 11.1% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 18.7% Asian, 6.7% White, 56.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 11% |