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The differences between student office assistants and administrative office assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a student office assistant and an administrative office assistant. Additionally, an administrative office assistant has an average salary of $33,318, which is higher than the $24,666 average annual salary of a student office assistant.
The top three skills for a student office assistant include data entry, phone calls and customer service. The most important skills for an administrative office assistant are customer service, data entry, and phone calls.
| Student Office Assistant | Administrative Office Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $24,666 | $33,318 |
| Hourly rate | $11.86 | $16.02 |
| Growth rate | -5% | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 73,080 | 81,528 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Average age | 47 | 50 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Student office assistants are responsible for answering and directing phone calls, taking messages, and communicating with customers and other staff members. Other duties and responsibilities of a student office assistant include making and arranging appointments, monitoring and restocking office supplies, and helping with some administrative tasks. They are also responsible for computing, recording, and proofreading data such as timesheets, reports, and records. This role's qualifications may vary from one organization to another, however, the basics include excellent communication skills and proficiency in MS Word, PowerPoint, and Excel.
An administrative office assistant is responsible for performing administrative duties to assist in daily management operations. These duties include taking calls and responding to client and customers' inquiries and concerns, scheduling meetings and conferences, organizing files and submitting required documents, sorting invoices for release, processing travel arrangements, receiving emails, forwarding reports to the appropriate department, and coordinating with company's events. An administrative assistant must be detail-oriented, as well as having excellent time-management and multi-tasking skills to perform duties even under minimal supervision.
Student office assistants and administrative office assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Student Office Assistant | Administrative Office Assistant | |
| Average salary | $24,666 | $33,318 |
| Salary range | Between $16,000 And $36,000 | Between $25,000 And $43,000 |
| Highest paying City | Denver, CO | Sacramento, CA |
| Highest paying state | Colorado | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Minneapolis Community and Technical College | Buckley King |
| Best paying industry | Government | Government |
There are a few differences between a student office assistant and an administrative office assistant in terms of educational background:
| Student Office Assistant | Administrative Office Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between student office assistants' and administrative office assistants' demographics:
| Student Office Assistant | Administrative Office Assistant | |
| Average age | 47 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 28.7% Female, 71.3% | Male, 14.7% Female, 85.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 18.8% Asian, 10.1% White, 55.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% | Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.1% Asian, 3.8% White, 66.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |