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Health Education Specialists vs Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists: what changes?

Consider Health Education Specialists if you want to provide and manage health education programs that help individuals, families, and their communities maximize and maintain healthy lifestyles. Consider Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists if you would rather provide social services to assist in rehabilitation of law offenders in custody or on probation or parole. Both list bachelor's degree; compare training and prior experience separately.

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Health Education Specialists and Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

Compare the practical differences
What this means in practice

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Start with earnings, the route into the job, training, available openings, and a day-to-day reality.

Health Education Specialists

National median pay (2025)
$64,070
Route into the job
Bachelor's degree
Prior related experience
No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing
BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.
Work to investigate
Prepare and distribute health education materials, such as reports, bulletins, and visual aids, to address smoking, vaccines, and other public health concerns.
Annual openings (2025–2035)
6,900
Know before you choose

Review the full career brief for day-to-day working conditions.

See the full Health Education Specialists brief

Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists

National median pay (2025)
$66,270
Route into the job
Bachelor's degree; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
Prior related experience
No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing
More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate
Prepare and maintain case folder for each assigned inmate or offender.
Annual openings (2025–2035)
7,900
Know before you choose

Conflict, distress, or difficult interactions are recurring parts of the work, not rare exceptions.

See the full Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists brief
See scores, detailed data, and how the comparison works

How the national numbers differ

1

Health Education Specialists has the edge on projected growth

Health Education Specialists is at 5.6% projected growth, compared with 3% projected growth for Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists.

2

Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists has the edge on annual openings

Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists is at 7,900 annual openings, compared with 6,900 annual openings for Health Education Specialists.

3

Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists has the edge on median pay

Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists is at $66,270, compared with $64,070 for Health Education Specialists.

57.1/ 100

Health Education Specialists

vs
52.8/ 100

Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

Detailed evidence

Health Education Specialists vs Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists

DimensionHealth Education SpecialistsProbation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists
Median pay (2025)$64,070$66,270
Pay percentile55.5 percentile58.2 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)5.6%3%
Annual openings (2025–2035)6,9007,900
2025 employment70,40093,700
How you qualifyBachelor's degreeBachelor's degree; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
O*NET preparation groupJob Zone 4Job Zone 4
Related work experienceNo prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
On-the-job trainingBLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.

The table reports national benchmarks and reviewed work descriptions. It does not rate personal suitability, job security, or physical safety.

Read Health Education Specialists briefRead Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists brief

Try another comparison

Health Education Specialists vs Child, Family, and School Social Workers

Compare pay, growth, education, and the tradeoffs that affect the decision.

Health Education Specialists
$64,070 · 5.6% growth
Child, Family, and School Social Workers
$59,550 · 4.4% growth
Compare careers →

Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists vs Child, Family, and School Social Workers

Compare pay, growth, education, and the tradeoffs that affect the decision.

Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists
$66,270 · 3% growth
Child, Family, and School Social Workers
$59,550 · 4.4% growth
Compare careers →
ChooseField compares fields using public labor-market and professional sources.