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The differences between assistants and administrative assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an assistant and an administrative assistant. Additionally, an assistant has an average salary of $37,363, which is higher than the $34,945 average annual salary of an administrative assistant.
The top three skills for an assistant include patients, customer service and patient care. The most important skills for an administrative assistant are customer service, data entry, and powerpoint.
| Assistant | Administrative Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $37,363 | $34,945 |
| Hourly rate | $17.96 | $16.80 |
| Growth rate | -8% | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 557,900 | 65,769 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4.14 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 49% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Average age | 50 | 50 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
An assistant intern is responsible for facilitating administrative and clerical tasks as assigned by the management. Assistant interns' duties include keeping records of meetings, receiving calls and handling customer inquiries, assisting on writing reports and data entry processing, cooperating and providing support for business events, and adhering to company policies and regulatory procedures. Successful assistant interns must have excellent time-management, multi-tasking, and communication skills. They must be a team player and fast-learner to handle various tasks in the corporate industry.
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.
Assistants and administrative assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Assistant | Administrative Assistant | |
| Average salary | $37,363 | $34,945 |
| Salary range | Between $16,000 And $82,000 | Between $26,000 And $46,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | California |
| Best paying company | Latham & Watkins | Westfield State University |
| Best paying industry | Education | - |
There are a few differences between an assistant and an administrative assistant in terms of educational background:
| Assistant | Administrative Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 49% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Western Carolina University | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between assistants' and administrative assistants' demographics:
| Assistant | Administrative Assistant | |
| Average age | 50 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 40.7% Female, 59.3% | Male, 12.7% Female, 87.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 3.8% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | 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 | 6% | 6% |