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The differences between student assistants and office assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an office assistant has an average salary of $31,517, which is higher than the $25,439 average annual salary of a student assistant.
The top three skills for a student assistant include customer service, front desk and administrative assistance. The most important skills for an office assistant are data entry, patients, and customer service.
| Student Assistant | Office Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $25,439 | $31,517 |
| Hourly rate | $12.23 | $15.15 |
| Growth rate | 4% | -5% |
| Number of jobs | 29,093 | 103,293 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 42% |
| Average age | 44 | 47 |
| Years of experience | - | 2 |
Student assistants are university students who are working part-time for a staff member or department. They are usually assigned to do administrative or clerical activities to help ease the load of their supervisor. They may manage files and information dissemination channels of the department. They may extend assistance during the registration period by helping other students fill out forms, managing the department's enrollment procedure, or doing any other activity required by their supervisor. They may also be asked to mentor younger students. Student assistants should be organized and trustworthy.
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.
Student assistants and office assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Student Assistant | Office Assistant | |
| Average salary | $25,439 | $31,517 |
| Salary range | Between $17,000 And $37,000 | Between $24,000 And $41,000 |
| Highest paying City | Albany, NY | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Rhode Island | Vermont |
| Best paying company | Ncar - The National Center For Atmospheric Research | Analysis Group |
| Best paying industry | Government | Government |
There are a few differences between a student assistant and an office assistant in terms of educational background:
| Student Assistant | Office Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 42% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between student assistants' and office assistants' demographics:
| Student Assistant | Office Assistant | |
| Average age | 44 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 36.8% Female, 63.2% | Male, 17.3% Female, 82.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.8% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 20.1% Asian, 8.1% White, 56.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |