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The differences between information 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 information assistant and an administrative assistant. Additionally, an administrative assistant has an average salary of $34,945, which is higher than the $34,616 average annual salary of an information assistant.
The top three skills for an information assistant include patients, data entry and athletic website. The most important skills for an administrative assistant are customer service, data entry, and powerpoint.
| Information Assistant | Administrative Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $34,616 | $34,945 |
| Hourly rate | $16.64 | $16.80 |
| Growth rate | -8% | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 92,157 | 65,769 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4.14 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Average age | 50 | 50 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
The duties of an information assistant depend on one's line of work or industry of employment. In a university setting, an information assistant is typically a working-student whose responsibilities revolve around answering office inquiries and correspondence, assisting students and faculty as needed. They may also perform support tasks, such as preparing and processing documents, creating information materials, managing schedules and appointments, coordinating with different university offices, maintaining extensive records, and updating databases, all while adhering to the institution's policies and regulations.
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.
Information assistants and administrative assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Information Assistant | Administrative Assistant | |
| Average salary | $34,616 | $34,945 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $44,000 | Between $26,000 And $46,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Jose, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | California |
| Best paying company | California Institute of Technology | Westfield State University |
| Best paying industry | Professional | - |
There are a few differences between an information assistant and an administrative assistant in terms of educational background:
| Information Assistant | Administrative Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between information assistants' and administrative assistants' demographics:
| Information Assistant | Administrative Assistant | |
| Average age | 50 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 38.1% Female, 61.9% | Male, 12.7% Female, 87.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.1% Asian, 3.8% White, 66.4% 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% |