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The differences between senior technical writers and senior 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 a senior editor takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a senior editor has an average salary of $90,094, which is higher than the $70,820 average annual salary of a senior technical writer.
The top three skills for a senior technical writer include technical documentation, subject matter experts and API. The most important skills for a senior editor are edit content, video content, and SEO.
| Senior Technical Writer | Senior Editor | |
| Yearly salary | $70,820 | $90,094 |
| Hourly rate | $34.05 | $43.31 |
| Growth rate | 6% | -5% |
| Number of jobs | 80,897 | 12,150 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 79% |
| 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.
A Senior Editor determines the editorial content for a publication. They supervise the content creation process and manage junior editors.
Senior technical writers and senior editors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Technical Writer | Senior Editor | |
| Average salary | $70,820 | $90,094 |
| Salary range | Between $54,000 And $92,000 | Between $66,000 And $121,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | PayPal | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Finance |
There are a few differences between a senior technical writer and a senior editor in terms of educational background:
| Senior Technical Writer | Senior Editor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 79% |
| Most common major | English | English |
| Most common college | University of Houston | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between senior technical writers' and senior editors' demographics:
| Senior Technical Writer | Senior Editor | |
| Average age | 46 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 51.8% Female, 48.2% | Male, 51.7% Female, 48.3% |
| 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, 3.6% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 8.1% Asian, 7.2% White, 76.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 12% |