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The differences between youth specialists and community support specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a youth specialist and a community support specialist. Additionally, a community support specialist has an average salary of $39,320, which is higher than the $35,180 average annual salary of a youth specialist.
The top three skills for a youth specialist include crisis intervention, direct care and mental health. The most important skills for a community support specialist are social work, mental health, and rehabilitation.
| Youth Specialist | Community Support Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $35,180 | $39,320 |
| Hourly rate | $16.91 | $18.90 |
| Growth rate | 12% | 12% |
| Number of jobs | 71,303 | 111,431 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
A youth specialist's role is to oversee the safety and welfare of children and young adults, ensuring that they get the necessary support and guidance. Their responsibilities include performing initial assessments and interviews to identify needs, conducting home inspections and evaluations, providing essential advice, and spearheading programs and projects that cater to the disadvantaged youth. Furthermore, there are instances when a youth specialist may execute interventions or refer families to other services. Should there be any signs of neglect or abuse, it is essential to coordinate with the authorities right away.
A community support specialist is responsible for supporting and providing care services for citizens with mental health conditions and other medical illnesses. Community support specialists coordinate with organizations and health institutions to generate resources that would help the patients in their daily activities, medications, and treatment plans. They also strategize community events and activities to observe the patients' social and personal behaviors and endorse them to a mental health professional for in-depth examination and counseling.
Youth specialists and community support specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Youth Specialist | Community Support Specialist | |
| Average salary | $35,180 | $39,320 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $45,000 | Between $27,000 And $56,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Outside In | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Government | Non Profits |
There are a few differences between a youth specialist and a community support specialist in terms of educational background:
| Youth Specialist | Community Support Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Criminal Justice | Psychology |
| Most common college | SUNY at Binghamton | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between youth specialists' and community support specialists' demographics:
| Youth Specialist | Community Support Specialist | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 42.3% Female, 57.7% | Male, 28.8% Female, 71.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 15.3% Asian, 6.4% White, 62.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6% | Black or African American, 12.6% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.4% Asian, 7.0% White, 59.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |