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The differences between office workers and student workers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become an office worker, becoming a student worker takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, an office worker has an average salary of $41,003, which is higher than the $25,735 average annual salary of a student worker.
The top three skills for an office worker include data entry, administrative tasks and powerpoint. The most important skills for a student worker are customer service, front desk, and twitter.
| Office Worker | Student Worker | |
| Yearly salary | $41,003 | $25,735 |
| Hourly rate | $19.71 | $12.37 |
| Growth rate | -5% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 84,397 | 82,353 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 48% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Average age | 47 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 4 |
An office worker is responsible for performing administrative and clerical duties to support the daily operations of the business. Office workers assist in receiving calls to respond to the clients' inquiries and concerns, as well as welcoming visitors, verifying their appointments, and leading them to the appropriate personnel and department for their business needs. They also do data processing, sorting mail, and filing documents for easy retrieval and reference, especially during meetings and company activities.
Student workers are students who are employed while also enrolled at the university. They usually work in a department or college where they handle different tasks. Most of the time, student workers are assigned to do administrative activities. Their tasks include sorting mail, sending outgoing mail, manning telephone lines, filing documents, updating records, liaising with other departments, and documenting meetings, among others. Student-workers may also be assigned to handle or assist in university-wide events and activities. They are expected to be technologically savvy so that they can really help out in the department they are assigned to. Student-workers should be responsible, trustworthy, and diligent.
Office workers and student workers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Office Worker | Student Worker | |
| Average salary | $41,003 | $25,735 |
| Salary range | Between $23,000 And $71,000 | Between $19,000 And $34,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Albany, NY |
| Highest paying state | California | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | Fred Hutch | University of California, Berkeley |
| Best paying industry | Education | Retail |
There are a few differences between an office worker and a student worker in terms of educational background:
| Office Worker | Student Worker | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 48% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Western Carolina University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between office workers' and student workers' demographics:
| Office Worker | Student Worker | |
| Average age | 47 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 28.2% Female, 71.8% | Male, 38.7% Female, 61.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.1% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 7.8% White, 60.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% | Black or African American, 13.4% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 2.7% White, 63.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 10% |