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The differences between editorial directors 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 an editorial director, becoming a technical writer takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, an editorial director has an average salary of $99,934, which is higher than the $65,329 average annual salary of a technical writer.
The top three skills for an editorial director include editorial content, web content and editorial strategy. The most important skills for a technical writer are technical documentation, subject matter experts, and powerpoint.
| Editorial Director | Technical Writer | |
| Yearly salary | $99,934 | $65,329 |
| Hourly rate | $48.05 | $31.41 |
| Growth rate | -5% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 11,143 | 75,090 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 80% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 44 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 2 |
An Editorial Director will plan, coordinate, and edit all written content for a publication or a website. As the Editorial Director, they are responsible for planning the company's vision for the publication, including its short- and long-term goals. They are also responsible for supervising other editors and developing the guidelines on the types of manuscripts they should seek. Other duties that Editorial Directors perform include planning the publication's contents, allocating work to editors-in-chief and editorial managers, and coordinating other departments' work as needed.
Technical Writers specialize in producing easy-to-understand instructional or informational written materials, such as media and journal articles, assessments and guidelines, and legal forms of documentation. For Technical Writers to develop well-versed content, one must conduct thorough research on the topic or idea to ensure factual legitimacy and communicate with those whose expertise aligns with the subject. Aside from producing, Technical Writers can also improve or convert complex written materials such as operating manuals or documents into one that can be easily understood by the general public.
Editorial directors and technical writers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Editorial Director | Technical Writer | |
| Average salary | $99,934 | $65,329 |
| Salary range | Between $68,000 And $144,000 | Between $48,000 And $87,000 |
| Highest paying City | New Haven, CT | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | California |
| Best paying company | McKinsey & Company Inc | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Finance |
There are a few differences between an editorial director and a technical writer in terms of educational background:
| Editorial Director | Technical Writer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 80% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | English | English |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | University of Houston |
Here are the differences between editorial directors' and technical writers' demographics:
| Editorial Director | Technical Writer | |
| Average age | 44 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 48.3% Female, 51.7% | Male, 49.7% Female, 50.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.6% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 8.1% Asian, 7.2% White, 76.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | 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 Percentage | 12% | 11% |