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Data specialist vs data assistant

The differences between data specialists and data assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a data specialist and a data assistant. Additionally, a data specialist has an average salary of $68,326, which is higher than the $34,431 average annual salary of a data assistant.

The top three skills for a data specialist include data analysis, data entry and data collection. The most important skills for a data assistant are data entry, data collection, and patients.

Data specialist vs data assistant overview

Data SpecialistData Assistant
Yearly salary$68,326$34,431
Hourly rate$32.85$16.55
Growth rate9%-5%
Number of jobs100,30178,545
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 56%Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Average age4444
Years of experience22

What does a data specialist do?

A data specialist's role is to process data, transferring them into an electronic platform or database for record-keeping or creating systems. Their primary responsibility is to ensure the accuracy of every inputted data point and verify its authenticity by reaching out to clients or using specific software. There are also instances when they must perform various analyses or take part in different product development processes. Furthermore, it is crucial to be able to identify any anomalies or inconsistencies; this way, corrective measures can be quickly implemented.

What does a data assistant do?

A data assistant's role is to perform support tasks in data management procedures. Their responsibilities often revolve around coordinating with different departments to gather data, maintaining and updating databases, processing and organizing documentation, preparing progress reports, and analyzing data as needed. They may also participate in devising strategies to optimize data management operations. Furthermore, a data assistant must also monitor the operations of databases, performing regular maintenance checks, and reporting to the information technology department should there be any issues and concerns.

Data specialist vs data assistant salary

Data specialists and data assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

Data SpecialistData Assistant
Average salary$68,326$34,431
Salary rangeBetween $40,000 And $116,000Between $20,000 And $57,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateConnecticutCalifornia
Best paying companyMcKinsey & Company IncDLA Piper
Best paying industryManufacturingManufacturing

Differences between data specialist and data assistant education

There are a few differences between a data specialist and a data assistant in terms of educational background:

Data SpecialistData Assistant
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 56%Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common college--

Data specialist vs data assistant demographics

Here are the differences between data specialists' and data assistants' demographics:

Data SpecialistData Assistant
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 40.6% Female, 59.4%Male, 36.6% Female, 63.4%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 19.5% Asian, 9.9% White, 56.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 20.1% Asian, 11.1% White, 54.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage5%5%

Differences between data specialist and data assistant duties and responsibilities

Data specialist example responsibilities.

  • Manage the FAA's classify operations program.
  • Manage and prepare pharmaceutical records for multiple FDA audits.
  • Create UNIX and LINUX shell scripts to automate data migration process.
  • Create packages in SSIS to automate importing text files into a data mart.
  • Participate in data profiling activities and lead root cause / impact analysis sessions.
  • Manage offshore developers to support DBA operations.
  • Show more

Data assistant example responsibilities.

  • Create UNIX and LINUX shell scripts to automate data migration process.
  • Implement web crawlers in python with scrapy framework.
  • Serve as ETL lead to help the development stage take shape as quick as possible.
  • Work in collaboration with the systems administrators to troubleshoot and resolve RDBMS issues cause by common business network issues.
  • Utilize MATLAB to conduct calculations which have to take various factors into account that affect the way a pulsejet runs.
  • Research request and troubleshoot customer problems via multiple computer software.
  • Show more

Data specialist vs data assistant skills

Common data specialist skills
  • Data Analysis, 7%
  • Data Entry, 7%
  • Data Collection, 7%
  • Customer Service, 7%
  • Data Management, 6%
  • Visualization, 6%
Common data assistant skills
  • Data Entry, 14%
  • Data Collection, 10%
  • Patients, 9%
  • Data Management, 8%
  • Research Data, 6%
  • Access Database, 6%

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