Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between principal technical writers and professional technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a principal technical writer and a professional technician. Additionally, a professional technician has an average salary of $81,726, which is higher than the $66,896 average annual salary of a principal technical writer.
The top three skills for a principal technical writer include java, develop user and XML. The most important skills for a professional technician are customer service, cloud, and project management.
| Principal Technical Writer | Professional Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $66,896 | $81,726 |
| Hourly rate | $32.16 | $39.29 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 118,883 | 123,659 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 46 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A Principal Technical Writer creates useful tutorials, videos, and product documentation in fast-paced environments. Besides writing highly technical content describing the product functionality, Principal Technical Writers also develop project programs, maintain specific project schedules and update the documentation manager about the documentation status. They put together and offer online help and enhance the first-user experience by developing tutorials. Moreover, a Principal Technical Writer delivers meaningful UI strings and useful error-free messages by working hand-in-hand with user experience team members.
A professional technician is responsible for handling the complexities of technical and mechanical systems, repair defective components, and recommend technical solutions to enhance the company's productivity and efficiency in delivering high-quality deliverables. Professional technicians must be highly skilled in analyzing schematics and blueprints to assemble components and perform troubleshooting. They also manage the adequacy of inventories, create purchase requests, and identify costs and expenses for repairs and installations. A professional technician must be highly communicative and organization, especially in handling tasks with utmost adherence to safety protocols and regulations.
Principal technical writers and professional technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Principal Technical Writer | Professional Technician | |
| Average salary | $66,896 | $81,726 |
| Salary range | Between $50,000 And $88,000 | Between $64,000 And $104,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | California |
| Best paying company | - | Microsoft |
| Best paying industry | - | Energy |
There are a few differences between a principal technical writer and a professional technician in terms of educational background:
| Principal Technical Writer | Professional Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | English | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | University of Houston | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between principal technical writers' and professional technicians' demographics:
| Principal Technical Writer | Professional Technician | |
| Average age | 46 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 51.9% Female, 48.1% | Male, 72.1% Female, 27.9% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.0% Asian, 12.8% White, 54.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |