Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between advising assistants and administrative assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become an advising assistant, becoming an administrative assistant takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, an advising assistant has an average salary of $42,453, which is higher than the $34,945 average annual salary of an administrative assistant.
The top three skills for an advising assistant include financial aid, customer service and scheduling appointments. The most important skills for an administrative assistant are customer service, data entry, and powerpoint.
| Advising Assistant | Administrative Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $42,453 | $34,945 |
| Hourly rate | $20.41 | $16.80 |
| Growth rate | 12% | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 15,603 | 65,769 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4.14 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Average age | 43 | 50 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 2 |
An advising assistant works with school or university counselors, with a primary focus on students' mental welfare. Their responsibilities are to document sessions with patients, provide clerical assistance, and assist with psychological assessments. This position preferably requires a degree in psychology. Strong communication and organization skills are also necessary.
Administrative assistants, or admin assistants, do general clerical and administrative activities. Their duties involve organizing and maintaining files and records, preparing documents, scheduling meetings and appointments, and providing general support in the office. Administrative assistants handle incoming and outgoing official correspondences, take minutes of important meetings and manage calls to the main office number. They also assist executives in providing structure to their day by managing their schedule, drafting e-mails, and other activities that executives may need assistance in. Administrative assistants should have the following skills: organizing, business writing, decision-making, and communication.
Advising assistants and administrative assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Advising Assistant | Administrative Assistant | |
| Average salary | $42,453 | $34,945 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $69,000 | Between $26,000 And $46,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | California |
| Best paying company | - | Westfield State University |
| Best paying industry | - | - |
There are a few differences between an advising assistant and an administrative assistant in terms of educational background:
| Advising Assistant | Administrative Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between advising assistants' and administrative assistants' demographics:
| Advising Assistant | Administrative Assistant | |
| Average age | 43 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 42.9% Female, 57.1% | Male, 12.7% Female, 87.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 13.7% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 20.6% Asian, 7.2% White, 51.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.2% | Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.0% Asian, 3.8% White, 66.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 6% |