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The differences between editorial interns 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 internship, becoming a technical writer takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a technical writer has an average salary of $65,329, which is higher than the $32,356 average annual salary of an editorial internship.
The top three skills for an editorial internship include fact-check, editorial intern and web content. The most important skills for a technical writer are technical documentation, subject matter experts, and powerpoint.
| Editorial Internship | Technical Writer | |
| Yearly salary | $32,356 | $65,329 |
| Hourly rate | $15.56 | $31.41 |
| Growth rate | -5% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 51,667 | 75,090 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 86% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 44 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 2 |
An editorial intern is responsible for assisting the editorial team in publishing digital and media content, writing articles, and managing readers' reviews. Editorial interns must have excellent knowledge of the industry they work for, suggesting the latest trends and featured topics, taking notes of the tenured employees' advice and observations, and actively joining brainstorming sessions. An editorial intern must be detail-oriented and take constructive feedback as an opportunity to learn. It is also crucial to have outstanding communication and proofreading skills and keep all the materials confidential until release.
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 interns and technical writers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Editorial Internship | Technical Writer | |
| Average salary | $32,356 | $65,329 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $39,000 | Between $48,000 And $87,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Oxford University Press | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Media | Finance |
There are a few differences between an editorial internship and a technical writer in terms of educational background:
| Editorial Internship | Technical Writer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 86% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | English | English |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | University of Houston |
Here are the differences between editorial interns' and technical writers' demographics:
| Editorial Internship | Technical Writer | |
| Average age | 44 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 26.4% Female, 73.6% | Male, 49.7% Female, 50.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.6% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 8.1% Asian, 7.3% White, 76.2% 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% |