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Technical publications writer vs contributing writer

The differences between technical publications writers and contributing 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 technical publications writer and a contributing writer. Additionally, a technical publications writer has an average salary of $68,526, which is higher than the $51,372 average annual salary of a contributing writer.

The top three skills for a technical publications writer include technical publications, technical manuals and technical support. The most important skills for a contributing writer are lifestyle, web content, and SEO.

Technical publications writer vs contributing writer overview

Technical Publications WriterContributing Writer
Yearly salary$68,526$51,372
Hourly rate$32.95$24.70
Growth rate6%6%
Number of jobs75,83210,292
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 73%Bachelor's Degree, 81%
Average age4646
Years of experience22

Technical publications writer vs contributing writer salary

Technical publications writers and contributing writers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Technical Publications WriterContributing Writer
Average salary$68,526$51,372
Salary rangeBetween $53,000 And $88,000Between $34,000 And $75,000
Highest paying CityAlameda, CA-
Highest paying stateCalifornia-
Best paying companyYahoo-
Best paying industryTechnology-

Differences between technical publications writer and contributing writer education

There are a few differences between a technical publications writer and a contributing writer in terms of educational background:

Technical Publications WriterContributing Writer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 73%Bachelor's Degree, 81%
Most common majorEnglishJournalism
Most common collegeNorthwestern UniversityMassachusetts Institute of Technology

Technical publications writer vs contributing writer demographics

Here are the differences between technical publications writers' and contributing writers' demographics:

Technical Publications WriterContributing Writer
Average age4646
Gender ratioMale, 45.3% Female, 54.7%Male, 44.6% Female, 55.4%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 7.0% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 8.1% Asian, 7.7% White, 71.8% 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 Percentage11%11%

Differences between technical publications writer and contributing writer duties and responsibilities

Technical publications writer example responsibilities.

  • Identify and initiate wholesale computer upgrade to accommodate new CMS while allocating and managing staff resources devote to developing the software.
  • Review products and abstracts to verify that all vetting and dissemination requirements are meet prior to product dissemination/distribution to DHS costumers.
  • Identify and initiate wholesale computer upgrade to accommodate new CMS while allocating and managing staff resources devote to developing the software.

Contributing writer example responsibilities.

  • Collaborate with overseas team and manage documents using SharePoint to conceptualize and generate new marketing content.
  • Pitch, write and photograph audience-aligned content, which are centered on the European-American luxury lifestyle in the greater Chicago area
  • Create SharePoint site for marketing and communications that include project tracking, document governance and collaboration space.

Technical publications writer vs contributing writer skills

Common technical publications writer skills
  • Technical Publications, 17%
  • Technical Manuals, 12%
  • Technical Support, 8%
  • Subject Matter Experts, 8%
  • FAA, 6%
  • Engineering Drawings, 5%
Common contributing writer skills
  • Lifestyle, 13%
  • Web Content, 7%
  • SEO, 6%
  • Feature Stories, 6%
  • Conduct Interviews, 5%
  • Blog Posts, 5%

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