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Scientific technical writer vs scientific technician

The differences between scientific technical writers and scientific technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a scientific technical writer, becoming a scientific technician takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a scientific technical writer has an average salary of $78,877, which is higher than the $40,956 average annual salary of a scientific technician.

The top three skills for a scientific technical writer include sops, subject matter experts and FDA. The most important skills for a scientific technician are data collection, GPS, and harvest.

Scientific technical writer vs scientific technician overview

Scientific Technical WriterScientific Technician
Yearly salary$78,877$40,956
Hourly rate$37.92$19.69
Growth rate6%9%
Number of jobs79,6809,259
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 54%Bachelor's Degree, 78%
Average age4640
Years of experience24

Scientific technical writer vs scientific technician salary

Scientific technical writers and scientific technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

Scientific Technical WriterScientific Technician
Average salary$78,877$40,956
Salary rangeBetween $57,000 And $109,000Between $28,000 And $58,000
Highest paying City-Bethesda, MD
Highest paying state-California
Best paying company-Jacobs Engineering Group
Best paying industry-Pharmaceutical

Differences between scientific technical writer and scientific technician education

There are a few differences between a scientific technical writer and a scientific technician in terms of educational background:

Scientific Technical WriterScientific Technician
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 54%Bachelor's Degree, 78%
Most common majorBiologyBiology
Most common collegeUniversity of Southern CaliforniaDuke University

Scientific technical writer vs scientific technician demographics

Here are the differences between scientific technical writers' and scientific technicians' demographics:

Scientific Technical WriterScientific Technician
Average age4640
Gender ratioMale, 35.4% Female, 64.6%Male, 59.9% Female, 40.1%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 6.7% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 8.8% White, 71.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 13.0% White, 55.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.2%
LGBT Percentage11%6%

Differences between scientific technical writer and scientific technician duties and responsibilities

Scientific technical writer example responsibilities.

  • Help company achieve ISO registration by determining best practices, writing ISO compliant manufacturing instructions and teaching best manufacturing processes.
  • Maintain contacts within the FDA and EPA to stay abreast of the latest regulatory actions.
  • Develop sophisticated PowerPoint presentations for cross-departmental meetings.
  • Develop sophisticated PowerPoint presentations for cross-departmental meetings.

Scientific technician example responsibilities.

  • Manage AIS boat check stations with WDFW enforcement (Carl Klein).
  • Identify owl species by sight and sound prompt using hoot flute and reed caller.
  • Work onboard commercial gillnet boats to monitor salmon harvest.
  • Measure fork length and weight of salmon and steelhead, as well as other fish species.
  • Operate and maintain power boats, drift boats, and rafts for field surveys.
  • Utilize maps, GPS, rangefinder, secchi disk and kayaks on a daily basis.
  • Show more

Scientific technical writer vs scientific technician skills

Common scientific technical writer skills
  • Sops, 26%
  • Subject Matter Experts, 20%
  • FDA, 14%
  • Technical Reports, 9%
  • ISO, 6%
  • Adobe Acrobat, 6%
Common scientific technician skills
  • Data Collection, 18%
  • GPS, 11%
  • Harvest, 8%
  • Data Entry, 8%
  • Lab Equipment, 6%
  • Boats, 5%

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