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The differences between youth specialists and residential 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 residential specialist. Additionally, a youth specialist has an average salary of $35,180, which is higher than the $33,451 average annual salary of a residential specialist.
The top three skills for a youth specialist include crisis intervention, direct care and mental health. The most important skills for a residential specialist are mental health, crisis intervention, and CPR.
| Youth Specialist | Residential Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $35,180 | $33,451 |
| Hourly rate | $16.91 | $16.08 |
| Growth rate | 12% | 12% |
| Number of jobs | 71,303 | 49,467 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| 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.
The residential specialist job is to provide quality support services to consumers that enhance physical, emotional, intellectual, vocational, communication, and social skills according to the individual's needs, abilities, and choices. Their duties and responsibilities include following the guidelines given by their agencies and assisting clients as needed according to their daily plan and schedule.
Youth specialists and residential specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Youth Specialist | Residential Specialist | |
| Average salary | $35,180 | $33,451 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $45,000 | Between $25,000 And $44,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | California |
| Best paying company | Outside In | University of California, Berkeley |
| Best paying industry | Government | Non Profits |
There are a few differences between a youth specialist and a residential specialist in terms of educational background:
| Youth Specialist | Residential Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| 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 residential specialists' demographics:
| Youth Specialist | Residential Specialist | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 42.3% Female, 57.7% | Male, 29.7% Female, 70.3% |
| 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, 12.0% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 6.4% White, 58.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |