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The differences between engineering technical writers and staff 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 staff writer. Additionally, an engineering technical writer has an average salary of $64,966, which is higher than the $44,844 average annual salary of a staff writer.
The top three skills for an engineering technical writer include API, technical documentation and java. The most important skills for a staff writer are feature stories, news stories, and event coverage.
| Engineering Technical Writer | Staff Writer | |
| Yearly salary | $64,966 | $44,844 |
| Hourly rate | $31.23 | $21.56 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 128,393 | 80,547 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 82% |
| 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 staff writer is an individual who works in the television (TV) or entertainment industry to provide standard content such as news reports, reviews, and features. Since writing content is important, staff writers must be able to collaborate and brainstorm ideas with other staff members in the production process. They must attend conferences, events, or seminars to meet other people in the industry. Staff writers must also possess knowledge in scriptwriting and an in-depth understanding of the entertainment industry.
Engineering technical writers and staff writers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Engineering Technical Writer | Staff Writer | |
| Average salary | $64,966 | $44,844 |
| Salary range | Between $47,000 And $89,000 | Between $29,000 And $68,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Virginia | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Meta | The New York Times Company |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Non Profits |
There are a few differences between an engineering technical writer and a staff writer in terms of educational background:
| Engineering Technical Writer | Staff Writer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 82% |
| Most common major | Business | Journalism |
| Most common college | University of Houston | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between engineering technical writers' and staff writers' demographics:
| Engineering Technical Writer | Staff Writer | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 64.0% Female, 36.0% | Male, 49.2% Female, 50.8% |
| 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, 6.7% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 8.8% White, 71.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |