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The differences between publishing editors 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 a publishing editor, 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 $61,550 average annual salary of a publishing editor.
The top three skills for a publishing editor include web site, feature stories and edit content. The most important skills for a technical writer are technical documentation, subject matter experts, and powerpoint.
| Publishing Editor | Technical Writer | |
| Yearly salary | $61,550 | $65,329 |
| Hourly rate | $29.59 | $31.41 |
| Growth rate | -5% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 4,562 | 75,090 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 44 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 2 |
Publishing Editors tend to earn around $56K per year in a career that demands creativity, language, and writing skills, as well as being detail-oriented and possessing good judgment and interpersonal skills. Though not required, most will have at least a bachelor's degree in English, communications, or journalism for this career, which calls for deciding the style and content of various publications or even the entire publication content in managerial roles.
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.
Publishing editors and technical writers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Publishing Editor | Technical Writer | |
| Average salary | $61,550 | $65,329 |
| Salary range | Between $44,000 And $85,000 | 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 publishing editor and a technical writer in terms of educational background:
| Publishing Editor | Technical Writer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Journalism | English |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | University of Houston |
Here are the differences between publishing editors' and technical writers' demographics:
| Publishing Editor | Technical Writer | |
| Average age | 44 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 52.6% Female, 47.4% | Male, 49.7% Female, 50.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.5% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 6.9% White, 77.0% 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% |