Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between student office assistants and 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 office assistant. Additionally, an office assistant has an average salary of $31,517, 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 office assistant are data entry, patients, and customer service.
| Student Office Assistant | Office Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $24,666 | $31,517 |
| Hourly rate | $11.86 | $15.15 |
| Growth rate | -5% | -5% |
| Number of jobs | 73,080 | 103,293 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 42% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| 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.
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 office assistants and office assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Student Office Assistant | Office Assistant | |
| Average salary | $24,666 | $31,517 |
| Salary range | Between $16,000 And $36,000 | Between $24,000 And $41,000 |
| Highest paying City | Denver, CO | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Colorado | Vermont |
| Best paying company | Minneapolis Community and Technical College | Analysis Group |
| Best paying industry | Government | Government |
There are a few differences between a student office assistant and an office assistant in terms of educational background:
| Student Office 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 office assistants' and office assistants' demographics:
| Student Office Assistant | Office Assistant | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 28.7% Female, 71.3% | Male, 17.3% Female, 82.7% |
| 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, 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% |