Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between student office assistants and assistant secretaries 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 assistant secretary. Additionally, an assistant secretary has an average salary of $107,366, 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 assistant secretary are telephone calls, payroll, and scheduling appointments.
| Student Office Assistant | Assistant Secretary | |
| Yearly salary | $24,666 | $107,366 |
| Hourly rate | $11.86 | $51.62 |
| Growth rate | -5% | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 73,080 | 52,165 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| 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 assistant secretary is responsible for performing administrative and clerical duties to support the daily operations of various departments and management personnel and ensure the efficiency of business functions. Assistant secretaries usually assist in business communications, responding to customers' inquiries and concerns, reaching out to existing clients to schedule appointments, welcoming guests on the office, and routing calls to the appropriate department. They also handle data entry procedures, updating customer information on the database, as well as creating reports on business and financial transactions.
Student office assistants and assistant secretaries have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Student Office Assistant | Assistant Secretary | |
| Average salary | $24,666 | $107,366 |
| Salary range | Between $16,000 And $36,000 | Between $38,000 And $302,000 |
| Highest paying City | Denver, CO | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Colorado | Rhode Island |
| Best paying company | Minneapolis Community and Technical College | Elanco |
| Best paying industry | Government | - |
There are a few differences between a student office assistant and an assistant secretary in terms of educational background:
| Student Office Assistant | Assistant Secretary | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between student office assistants' and assistant secretaries' demographics:
| Student Office Assistant | Assistant Secretary | |
| Average age | 47 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 28.7% Female, 71.3% | Male, 21.7% Female, 78.3% |
| 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, 66.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |