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The differences between technical assistants and administrative assistant/technicals can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a technical assistant and an administrative assistant/technical. Additionally, an administrative assistant/technical has an average salary of $42,541, which is higher than the $34,159 average annual salary of a technical assistant.
The top three skills for a technical assistant include patients, customer service and patient care. The most important skills for an administrative assistant/technical are patients, data entry, and powerpoint.
| Technical Assistant | Administrative Assistant/Technical | |
| Yearly salary | $34,159 | $42,541 |
| Hourly rate | $16.42 | $20.45 |
| Growth rate | 10% | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 73,750 | 122,180 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Average age | 42 | 50 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A technical assistant is responsible for supporting business operations by doing administrative and technical tasks under a direct supervisor or tenured staff. Duties of a technical assistant include creating meeting reports, scheduling events, responding to clients' inquiries through email and phone calls, monitoring office inventories, basic troubleshooting on defective equipment, providing recommendations on product development, and analyzing operations processes. Technical assistants require strong time-management and multi-tasking skills to perform tasks in a fast-paced environment and high-level operations.
An administrative assistant/technical is primarily responsible for performing clerical and support tasks in a company, ensuring efficiency and timeliness. They must produce progress reports, process documentation, receive communication letters, manage schedules, and even greet visitors. There are also instances when an administrative assistant/technical has to answer calls and correspondence, respond to inquiries, address issues and concerns, and resolve them promptly and professionally. Furthermore, it is essential to maintain records of all transactions, coordinate with different departments, and adhere to the company's policies and regulations.
Technical assistants and administrative assistant/technicals have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Technical Assistant | Administrative Assistant/Technical | |
| Average salary | $34,159 | $42,541 |
| Salary range | Between $22,000 And $51,000 | Between $31,000 And $58,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | Olympia, WA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | The American Musical and Dramatic Academy | Plante & Moran PLLC. |
| Best paying industry | Insurance | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a technical assistant and an administrative assistant/technical in terms of educational background:
| Technical Assistant | Administrative Assistant/Technical | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between technical assistants' and administrative assistant/technicals' demographics:
| Technical Assistant | Administrative Assistant/Technical | |
| Average age | 42 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 54.8% Female, 45.2% | Male, 19.0% Female, 81.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.1% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 15.8% Asian, 11.9% White, 55.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 3.8% White, 66.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 6% |