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Contractor-senior technical writer vs technical editor

The differences between contractor-senior technical writers and technical editors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a contractor-senior technical writer, becoming a technical editor takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a contractor-senior technical writer has an average salary of $65,744, which is higher than the $61,717 average annual salary of a technical editor.

The top three skills for a contractor-senior technical writer include maintenance procedures, technical manuals and technical documentation. The most important skills for a technical editor are powerpoint, english language, and proofreading.

Contractor-senior technical writer vs technical editor overview

Contractor-Senior Technical WriterTechnical Editor
Yearly salary$65,744$61,717
Hourly rate$31.61$29.67
Growth rate6%-5%
Number of jobs86,24478,423
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 73%Bachelor's Degree, 76%
Average age4644
Years of experience24

Contractor-senior technical writer vs technical editor salary

Contractor-senior technical writers and technical editors have different pay scales, as shown below.

Contractor-Senior Technical WriterTechnical Editor
Average salary$65,744$61,717
Salary rangeBetween $48,000 And $88,000Between $47,000 And $80,000
Highest paying City-Oakland, CA
Highest paying state-Connecticut
Best paying company-Apple
Best paying industry-Technology

Differences between contractor-senior technical writer and technical editor education

There are a few differences between a contractor-senior technical writer and a technical editor in terms of educational background:

Contractor-Senior Technical WriterTechnical Editor
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 73%Bachelor's Degree, 76%
Most common majorEnglishEnglish
Most common collegeUniversity of HoustonNorthwestern University

Contractor-senior technical writer vs technical editor demographics

Here are the differences between contractor-senior technical writers' and technical editors' demographics:

Contractor-Senior Technical WriterTechnical Editor
Average age4644
Gender ratioMale, 51.3% Female, 48.7%Male, 42.6% Female, 57.4%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 7.6% Asian, 8.6% White, 72.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%Black or African American, 3.6% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 8.2% Asian, 7.3% White, 76.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage11%12%

Differences between contractor-senior technical writer and technical editor duties and responsibilities

Contractor-senior technical writer example responsibilities.

  • Manage writing projects, including HTML documentation conversions.
  • Help company achieve ISO registration by determining best practices, writing ISO compliant manufacturing instructions and teaching best manufacturing processes.
  • Develop API documentation for CTI interface.
  • Convert legacy PageMaker guide into PDF format.
  • Provide structured FrameMaker XML technical support as required for BAE product support programs.
  • Create, with SMEs and VP-level personnel, online help for custom-developed video conference software.
  • Show more

Technical editor example responsibilities.

  • Identify and initiate wholesale computer upgrade to accommodate new CMS while allocating and managing staff resources devote to developing the software.
  • Train course developers in advance features of FrameMaker and PowerPoint.
  • Remove PDF security from each document.
  • Update PDF variables for online help.
  • Research science, military, and historical-relate topics for DOD.
  • Create or obtain all necessary screen shots using SnagIt and Photoshop.
  • Show more

Contractor-senior technical writer vs technical editor skills

Common contractor-senior technical writer skills
  • Maintenance Procedures, 15%
  • Technical Manuals, 8%
  • Technical Documentation, 4%
  • SharePoint, 4%
  • API, 4%
  • Visio, 4%
Common technical editor skills
  • PowerPoint, 16%
  • English Language, 11%
  • Proofreading, 6%
  • Subject Matter Experts, 5%
  • Training Materials, 5%
  • XML, 4%

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