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The differences between operations specialists and administrative assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an operations specialist has an average salary of $54,752, which is higher than the $34,945 average annual salary of an administrative assistant.
The top three skills for an operations specialist include customer service, logistics and basic math. The most important skills for an administrative assistant are customer service, data entry, and powerpoint.
| Operations Specialist | Administrative Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $54,752 | $34,945 |
| Hourly rate | $26.32 | $16.80 |
| Growth rate | 10% | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 109,181 | 65,769 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | 4.14 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Average age | 44 | 50 |
| Years of experience | - | 2 |
An operations specialist is responsible for optimizing the business' daily operations, ensuring smooth process flow to provide the best services to clients. Operations specialists' duties include analyzing business procedures, identifying opportunities for business improvement, tracking the department's metrics and activities, providing assistance to colleagues, suggesting strategies for operations efficiency, and managing customer's inquiries and complaints. An operations specialist must be an excellent team player and detail-oriented, as well as proven time-management and decision-making skills to meet clients' needs and support the business' objectives.
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.
Operations specialists and administrative assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Operations Specialist | Administrative Assistant | |
| Average salary | $54,752 | $34,945 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $85,000 | Between $26,000 And $46,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Rhode Island | California |
| Best paying company | Coatue Management | Westfield State University |
| Best paying industry | Government | - |
There are a few differences between an operations specialist and an administrative assistant in terms of educational background:
| Operations Specialist | Administrative Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Western Carolina University | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between operations specialists' and administrative assistants' demographics:
| Operations Specialist | Administrative Assistant | |
| Average age | 44 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 50.6% Female, 49.4% | Male, 12.7% Female, 87.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 8.8% White, 70.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | 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 | 11% | 6% |