Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between program support specialists and office support specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a program support specialist and an office support specialist. Additionally, a program support specialist has an average salary of $39,327, which is higher than the $36,549 average annual salary of an office support specialist.
The top three skills for a program support specialist include program support, veterans and powerpoint. The most important skills for an office support specialist are customer service, data entry, and phone calls.
| Program Support Specialist | Office Support Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $39,327 | $36,549 |
| Hourly rate | $18.91 | $17.57 |
| Growth rate | 10% | -5% |
| Number of jobs | 169,855 | 130,301 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 45% |
| Average age | 42 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A program support specialist is responsible for monitoring the overall program aspects of an organization from the conceptualization to the final execution. Program support specialists negotiate contracts and transactions with the suppliers and vendors for resources that meet the funding and budget limitations. They process documents and assist the program staff in coordinating with other organizations for program plans and potential sponsorships. A program support specialist must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in handling the program objectives and ensure client satisfaction.
An office support specialist is in charge of performing clerical tasks to help offices maintain a smooth workflow. Among their responsibilities include preparing and processing documents, answering calls and correspondence, disseminating and organizing files, monitoring the inventory of office supplies, and processing procurement requests should there be any. They may also assist staff with projects and programs, greet visitors, and coordinate with different company departments. Furthermore, an office support specialist must enforce the company's policies and regulations.
Program support specialists and office support specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Program Support Specialist | Office Support Specialist | |
| Average salary | $39,327 | $36,549 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $58,000 | Between $29,000 And $45,000 |
| Highest paying City | Urban Honolulu, HI | Billerica, MA |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Los Alamos National Laboratory | Anne Arundel County Public Schools |
| Best paying industry | Government | Finance |
There are a few differences between a program support specialist and an office support specialist in terms of educational background:
| Program Support Specialist | Office Support Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 45% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between program support specialists' and office support specialists' demographics:
| Program Support Specialist | Office Support Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 24.7% Female, 75.3% | Male, 17.8% Female, 82.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.8% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.0% Asian, 10.5% White, 56.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 18.3% Asian, 6.8% White, 59.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 6% |