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Career assistant vs program assistant

The differences between career assistants and program assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a career assistant and a program assistant. Additionally, a program assistant has an average salary of $35,193, which is higher than the $29,098 average annual salary of a career assistant.

The top three skills for a career assistant include scheduling appointments, career services and assistance program. The most important skills for a program assistant are patients, customer service, and data entry.

Career assistant vs program assistant overview

Career AssistantProgram Assistant
Yearly salary$29,098$35,193
Hourly rate$13.99$16.92
Growth rate12%12%
Number of jobs17,11796,901
Job satisfaction-4
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 59%Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Average age4343
Years of experience1212

What does a career assistant do?

A career assistant is responsible for conducting one-on-one coaching for students to determine their career aspirations according to their skills and interests. Career assistants support and advise the students in searching for jobs or internships they qualify for, help them create a smart resume, invite them to career seminars and orientations, and manage the students' weaknesses that hinder them from professional growth. A career assistant must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in keeping records of students' information and filing reports as necessary.

What does a program assistant do?

Program assistants are usually entry-level or junior employees assigned to a department that handles a specific program in the organization. They assist the team they are assigned to in the implementation of the programs. They usually take care of administrative or clerical activities while also getting exposure to actual program management. Program assistants get trained to handle agendas from inception, to sourcing, to implementation, to evaluation. They may also handle documentary support for business cases or other presentation materials that the team may need for a specific part of the program management cycle.

Career assistant vs program assistant salary

Career assistants and program assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

Career AssistantProgram Assistant
Average salary$29,098$35,193
Salary rangeBetween $16,000 And $51,000Between $27,000 And $45,000
Highest paying City-Washington, DC
Highest paying state-Connecticut
Best paying company-The Aspen Institute
Best paying industry-Government

Differences between career assistant and program assistant education

There are a few differences between a career assistant and a program assistant in terms of educational background:

Career AssistantProgram Assistant
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 59%Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeNorthwestern UniversityNorthwestern University

Career assistant vs program assistant demographics

Here are the differences between career assistants' and program assistants' demographics:

Career AssistantProgram Assistant
Average age4343
Gender ratioMale, 29.2% Female, 70.8%Male, 24.8% Female, 75.2%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 12.3% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 21.5% Asian, 6.6% White, 52.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.2%Black or African American, 13.8% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.0% Asian, 6.7% White, 53.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.2%
LGBT Percentage11%11%

Differences between career assistant and program assistant duties and responsibilities

Career assistant example responsibilities.

  • Interact with admissions tours, students, and alumni with a high caliber of customer service.
  • Assist veterans apply for VA educational benefits.
  • Administer workshop surveys and assist with Microsoft PowerPoint demonstrations.
  • Work with coordinator of center on educational and alumni placement.
  • Call non-member veterans, explain organization's mission and perform intake process, entering data in computer database.
  • Verify accuracy of data by combining data from various systems and compiling in spreadsheets, incorporate data into PowerPoint presentations.
  • Show more

Program assistant example responsibilities.

  • Lead classes in anatomy/physiology, medical terminology, transcription.
  • Manage oversight of budget/finance, personnel and continuous program improvement.
  • Assist in achieving and maintaining DoD certification and national accreditation where applicable.
  • Instruct students in C++ and Java programming, robot design and construction.
  • Introduce students to various computer pro- gramming languages (HTML, CSS, JavaScript).
  • Present information about RSVP to community organizations.
  • Show more

Career assistant vs program assistant skills

Common career assistant skills
  • Scheduling Appointments, 18%
  • Career Services, 11%
  • Assistance Program, 8%
  • Mock Interviews, 8%
  • Alumni, 8%
  • Customer Service, 6%
Common program assistant skills
  • Patients, 12%
  • Customer Service, 9%
  • Data Entry, 8%
  • HR, 6%
  • Excellent Interpersonal, 6%
  • Data Collection, 4%

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