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Documentation engineer vs technical writer

The differences between documentation engineers and technical writers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a documentation engineer, becoming a technical writer takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a documentation engineer has an average salary of $87,022, which is higher than the $65,329 average annual salary of a technical writer.

The top three skills for a documentation engineer include java, CAD and technical documentation. The most important skills for a technical writer are technical documentation, subject matter experts, and powerpoint.

Documentation engineer vs technical writer overview

Documentation EngineerTechnical Writer
Yearly salary$87,022$65,329
Hourly rate$41.84$31.41
Growth rate10%6%
Number of jobs25,54575,090
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 66%Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Average age4246
Years of experience42

Documentation engineer vs technical writer salary

Documentation engineers and technical writers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Documentation EngineerTechnical Writer
Average salary$87,022$65,329
Salary rangeBetween $56,000 And $133,000Between $48,000 And $87,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaCalifornia
Best paying companyMetaMeta
Best paying industryTechnologyFinance

Differences between documentation engineer and technical writer education

There are a few differences between a documentation engineer and a technical writer in terms of educational background:

Documentation EngineerTechnical Writer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 66%Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Most common majorMechanical EngineeringEnglish
Most common collegeNorthwestern UniversityUniversity of Houston

Documentation engineer vs technical writer demographics

Here are the differences between documentation engineers' and technical writers' demographics:

Documentation EngineerTechnical Writer
Average age4246
Gender ratioMale, 69.2% Female, 30.8%Male, 49.7% Female, 50.3%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 4.7% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.5% Asian, 13.8% White, 65.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%Black or African American, 6.6% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 8.7% White, 71.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage4%11%

Differences between documentation engineer and technical writer duties and responsibilities

Documentation engineer example responsibilities.

  • Manage ISO qualifications issues and maintain all official documentation.
  • Manage Jenkins security by providing specific access to authorize developers/testers using project base matrix authorization strategy.
  • Train engineering team in Asia on processes, ERP, and AutoCAD.
  • Capture, import and revise engineering drawings using CorelDRAW, PhotoShop and Visio.
  • Enter components and structure into MRP system.
  • Enter part and BOM data into EPICOR database.
  • Show more

Technical writer example responsibilities.

  • Analyze the requirements of the RFP to understand the customer s solution needs and to identify potential discriminators for competitive advantage.
  • Manage consulting projects including UNIX installation and maintenance on various engineering workstation platforms.
  • Create and manage print and online documentation for Linux and web-base security software.
  • Manage security program for DoD classify magnetic media, classify documents and physical security systems.
  • Develop software requirements documents for proprietary medical software device; manage documents through SDLC in fda-regulate environment.
  • Help company achieve ISO registration by determining best practices, writing ISO compliant manufacturing instructions and teaching best manufacturing processes.
  • Show more

Documentation engineer vs technical writer skills

Common documentation engineer skills
  • Java, 23%
  • CAD, 12%
  • Technical Documentation, 10%
  • Project Documentation, 8%
  • HTML, 6%
  • Test Procedures, 4%
Common technical writer skills
  • Technical Documentation, 9%
  • Subject Matter Experts, 8%
  • PowerPoint, 6%
  • Visio, 4%
  • SharePoint, 4%
  • Test Procedures, 4%

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