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The differences between project assistants and contract project managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a project assistant, becoming a contract project manager takes usually requires 6-8 years. Additionally, a contract project manager has an average salary of $81,263, which is higher than the $38,564 average annual salary of a project assistant.
The top three skills for a project assistant include data entry, powerpoint and customer service. The most important skills for a contract project manager are project management, project scope, and contract project.
| Project Assistant | Contract Project Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $38,564 | $81,263 |
| Hourly rate | $18.54 | $39.07 |
| Growth rate | -8% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 59,664 | 159,765 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 50 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 8 |
A project assistant's role mainly revolves around assisting a project manager. The responsibilities may vary upon the industry or organization. Still, most of them will be administrative tasks such as preparing reports and documentation, responding to calls and other forms of correspondence, and coordinating with various offices and personnel. Furthermore, a Project Assistant must also ensure the department's efficient workflow, proper utilization of budget, review documentation and schedules, attend meetings, and maintain an information database.
A contract project manager is an executive professional who provides project management and business analysis to fill the needs of an organization. Contract project managers are required to monitor and inspect contract projects to maintain a high level of safety and quality traffic control in highly variable conditions. They assist contract project administration with the review of project progress reports. Contract project managers must also manage the relationship between clients and the organization while monitoring the progress of the project to ensure that it complies with the terms of the corporate contract.
Project assistants and contract project managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Project Assistant | Contract Project Manager | |
| Average salary | $38,564 | $81,263 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $57,000 | Between $53,000 And $124,000 |
| Highest paying City | Portland, OR | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Oregon | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | AstraZeneca | PRO Unlimited |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a project assistant and a contract project manager in terms of educational background:
| Project Assistant | Contract Project Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Western Carolina University | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo |
Here are the differences between project assistants' and contract project managers' demographics:
| Project Assistant | Contract Project Manager | |
| Average age | 50 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 32.9% Female, 67.1% | Male, 66.1% Female, 33.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 3.8% White, 66.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 3.7% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 17.6% Asian, 2.8% White, 70.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 4% |