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The differences between office assistants and work study office 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 office assistant and a work study office assistant. Additionally, an office assistant has an average salary of $31,517, which is higher than the $23,909 average annual salary of a work study office assistant.
The top three skills for an office assistant include data entry, patients and customer service. The most important skills for a work study office assistant are work-study, customer service, and data entry.
| Office Assistant | Work Study Office Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $31,517 | $23,909 |
| Hourly rate | $15.15 | $11.49 |
| Growth rate | -5% | -5% |
| Number of jobs | 103,293 | 46,524 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 42% | Bachelor's Degree, 45% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Office assistants perform various tasks to ensure that the business runs organized and efficient. An office assistant must possess excellent communication and multi-tasking skills to handle essential duties such as scheduling meetings, monitoring office supplies, storing documents and necessary paperwork, handling customer inquiries and appointments, coordinating in company events, and accomplishing other clerical tasks and administrative support. Office assistants are also required to communicate any observation that would possibly make an impact on the company's performance.
A work-study office assistant is a student who works part-time at campus offices where they are primarily in charge of performing clerical support tasks. Their responsibilities often include handling calls and correspondence, preparing and processing documents, disseminating documents, gathering document signatures, greeting office visitors, setting-up facilities, and running errands. Depending upon their office of employment, they may also participate in conducting research, grading the students' quizzes and tests, making learning materials such as handouts and presentations, and organizing equipment.
Office assistants and work study office assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Office Assistant | Work Study Office Assistant | |
| Average salary | $31,517 | $23,909 |
| Salary range | Between $24,000 And $41,000 | Between $17,000 And $31,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Greeley, CO |
| Highest paying state | Vermont | Colorado |
| Best paying company | Analysis Group | Bridgewater State University |
| Best paying industry | Government | Education |
There are a few differences between an office assistant and a work study office assistant in terms of educational background:
| Office Assistant | Work Study Office Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 42% | Bachelor's Degree, 45% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Western Carolina University | SUNY at Binghamton |
Here are the differences between office assistants' and work study office assistants' demographics:
| Office Assistant | Work Study Office Assistant | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 17.3% Female, 82.7% | Male, 24.1% Female, 75.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.1% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 21.0% Asian, 8.3% White, 54.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% | Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 19.0% Asian, 8.5% White, 56.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |