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The differences between engineering technical writers and contributing writers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an engineering technical writer and a contributing writer. Additionally, an engineering technical writer has an average salary of $64,966, which is higher than the $51,372 average annual salary of a contributing writer.
The top three skills for an engineering technical writer include API, technical documentation and java. The most important skills for a contributing writer are lifestyle, web content, and SEO.
| Engineering Technical Writer | Contributing Writer | |
| Yearly salary | $64,966 | $51,372 |
| Hourly rate | $31.23 | $24.70 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 128,393 | 10,292 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 81% |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
An engineering technical writer specializes in producing engineering reports and documentation. They primarily communicate and coordinate with engineering teams to gather and analyze different forms of data, using the findings as a basis for writing materials. They may also liaise with clients, identifying the documents that they need, and submitting them to them while adhering to the company's policies and regulations. Furthermore, there are instances when an engineering technical writer must develop presentations and graphs, presenting reports to clients or company officials.
A contributing writer is responsible for contributing content to a publication or a specific client, typically on a freelance basis. Contributing writers must have a strong command of their language and extensive understanding of the topics assigned to them. They should be keen on details, perfecting grammar usage with proper writing elements. A contributing writer performs in-depth research to support content, ensuring the accuracy of information to release a high-quality article and serve a good read for the target audience. Contributing writers must have excellent time-management and communication skills, especially on meeting deadlines and doing revisions.
Engineering technical writers and contributing writers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Engineering Technical Writer | Contributing Writer | |
| Average salary | $64,966 | $51,372 |
| Salary range | Between $47,000 And $89,000 | Between $34,000 And $75,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | - |
| Highest paying state | Virginia | - |
| Best paying company | Meta | - |
| Best paying industry | Energy | - |
There are a few differences between an engineering technical writer and a contributing writer in terms of educational background:
| Engineering Technical Writer | Contributing Writer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 81% |
| Most common major | Business | Journalism |
| Most common college | University of Houston | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between engineering technical writers' and contributing writers' demographics:
| Engineering Technical Writer | Contributing Writer | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 64.0% Female, 36.0% | Male, 44.6% Female, 55.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.5% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 7.7% Asian, 8.6% White, 71.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | 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 | 11% | 11% |