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The differences between senior technical writers and assistant editors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a senior technical writer, becoming an assistant editor takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a senior technical writer has an average salary of $70,820, which is higher than the $52,284 average annual salary of an assistant editor.
The top three skills for a senior technical writer include technical documentation, subject matter experts and API. The most important skills for an assistant editor are editorial content, video footage, and web content.
| Senior Technical Writer | Assistant Editor | |
| Yearly salary | $70,820 | $52,284 |
| Hourly rate | $34.05 | $25.14 |
| Growth rate | 6% | -5% |
| Number of jobs | 80,897 | 8,716 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 81% |
| Average age | 46 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 4 |
A senior technical writer's role is to oversee the progress within a team or department, ensuring quality and timeliness. It is their responsibility to delegate tasks, set deadlines, carry out corrective measures on any issues, and implement the company's regulations and policies. There are also instances when they participate in producing written content, even editing and reviewing materials of the staff. As someone with more experience, a senior technical writer must encourage and lead fellow writers, shaping them into valuable assets.
An assistant editor is an individual responsible for assisting an editor-in-chief or editor-at-large of a newspaper, magazine, radio program, or website. Assistant editors hold meetings with staff and freelance writers to discuss new, fresh and original content for projects on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. They review assignments handed in by writers or reporters for sense, accuracy, readability, and content. Assistant editors must also utilize new media applications such as Twitter and Facebook to draw attention to an article or cause.
Senior technical writers and assistant editors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Technical Writer | Assistant Editor | |
| Average salary | $70,820 | $52,284 |
| Salary range | Between $54,000 And $92,000 | Between $34,000 And $78,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Huntington, NY |
| Highest paying state | California | New York |
| Best paying company | PayPal | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Media |
There are a few differences between a senior technical writer and an assistant editor in terms of educational background:
| Senior Technical Writer | Assistant Editor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 81% |
| Most common major | English | English |
| Most common college | University of Houston | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between senior technical writers' and assistant editors' demographics:
| Senior Technical Writer | Assistant Editor | |
| Average age | 46 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 51.8% Female, 48.2% | Male, 45.9% Female, 54.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.6% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 8.7% White, 71.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 3.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 7.0% White, 76.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 12% |