Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between principal technical writers and technical writers 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 technical writer. Additionally, a principal technical writer has an average salary of $66,896, which is higher than the $65,329 average annual salary of a technical writer.
The top three skills for a principal technical writer include java, develop user and XML. The most important skills for a technical writer are technical documentation, subject matter experts, and powerpoint.
| Principal Technical Writer | Technical Writer | |
| Yearly salary | $66,896 | $65,329 |
| Hourly rate | $32.16 | $31.41 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 118,883 | 75,090 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| 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.
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.
Principal technical writers and technical writers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Principal Technical Writer | Technical Writer | |
| Average salary | $66,896 | $65,329 |
| Salary range | Between $50,000 And $88,000 | Between $48,000 And $87,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | California |
| Best paying company | - | Meta |
| Best paying industry | - | Finance |
There are a few differences between a principal technical writer and a technical writer in terms of educational background:
| Principal Technical Writer | Technical Writer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | English | English |
| Most common college | University of Houston | University of Houston |
Here are the differences between principal technical writers' and technical writers' demographics:
| Principal Technical Writer | Technical Writer | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 51.9% Female, 48.1% | Male, 49.7% Female, 50.3% |
| 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, 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% |