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The differences between 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 technical writer, becoming an assistant editor takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a technical writer has an average salary of $65,329, which is higher than the $52,284 average annual salary of an assistant editor.
The top three skills for a technical writer include technical documentation, subject matter experts and powerpoint. The most important skills for an assistant editor are editorial content, video footage, and web content.
| Technical Writer | Assistant Editor | |
| Yearly salary | $65,329 | $52,284 |
| Hourly rate | $31.41 | $25.14 |
| Growth rate | 6% | -5% |
| Number of jobs | 75,090 | 8,716 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 81% |
| Average age | 46 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 4 |
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.
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.
Technical writers and assistant editors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Technical Writer | Assistant Editor | |
| Average salary | $65,329 | $52,284 |
| Salary range | Between $48,000 And $87,000 | Between $34,000 And $78,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Huntington, NY |
| Highest paying state | California | New York |
| Best paying company | Meta | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Media |
There are a few differences between a technical writer and an assistant editor in terms of educational background:
| 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 technical writers' and assistant editors' demographics:
| Technical Writer | Assistant Editor | |
| Average age | 46 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 49.7% Female, 50.3% | 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, 71.6% 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% |