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Technical writing consultant vs technical editor

The differences between technical writing consultants and technical 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 writing consultant, becoming a technical editor takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a technical writing consultant has an average salary of $82,383, which is higher than the $61,717 average annual salary of a technical editor.

The top three skills for a technical writing consultant include framemaker, R and user manuals. The most important skills for a technical editor are powerpoint, english language, and proofreading.

Technical writing consultant vs technical editor overview

Technical Writing ConsultantTechnical Editor
Yearly salary$82,383$61,717
Hourly rate$39.61$29.67
Growth rate6%-5%
Number of jobs90,10078,423
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 74%Bachelor's Degree, 76%
Average age4644
Years of experience24

Technical writing consultant vs technical editor salary

Technical writing consultants and technical editors have different pay scales, as shown below.

Technical Writing ConsultantTechnical Editor
Average salary$82,383$61,717
Salary rangeBetween $59,000 And $114,000Between $47,000 And $80,000
Highest paying City-Oakland, CA
Highest paying state-Connecticut
Best paying company-Apple
Best paying industry-Technology

Differences between technical writing consultant and technical editor education

There are a few differences between a technical writing consultant and a technical editor in terms of educational background:

Technical Writing ConsultantTechnical Editor
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 74%Bachelor's Degree, 76%
Most common majorEnglishEnglish
Most common collegeUniversity of HoustonNorthwestern University

Technical writing consultant vs technical editor demographics

Here are the differences between technical writing consultants' and technical editors' demographics:

Technical Writing ConsultantTechnical Editor
Average age4644
Gender ratioMale, 47.9% Female, 52.1%Male, 42.6% Female, 57.4%
Race ratioBlack 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, 3.6% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 8.2% Asian, 7.3% White, 76.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage11%12%

Differences between technical writing consultant and technical editor duties and responsibilities

Technical writing consultant example responsibilities.

  • Identify and initiate wholesale computer upgrade to accommodate new CMS while allocating and managing staff resources devote to developing the software.
  • Perform QA testing of the GUI, returning valuable feedback to the design team via the TestTrack defect tracking system.
  • Create accompanying diagrams using Visio.
  • Develop and design business processes utilizing Visio and other tools.
  • Define data interchange requirements, and develop API references and data management requirements in support of telecommunication company acquisition and mergers.
  • Develop sophisticated PowerPoint presentations for cross-departmental meetings.
  • Show more

Technical editor example responsibilities.

  • Identify and initiate wholesale computer upgrade to accommodate new CMS while allocating and managing staff resources devote to developing the software.
  • Train course developers in advance features of FrameMaker and PowerPoint.
  • Remove PDF security from each document.
  • Update PDF variables for online help.
  • Research science, military, and historical-relate topics for DOD.
  • Create or obtain all necessary screen shots using SnagIt and Photoshop.
  • Show more

Technical writing consultant vs technical editor skills

Common technical writing consultant skills
  • FrameMaker, 8%
  • R, 7%
  • User Manuals, 7%
  • Technical Documentation, 6%
  • Web Site, 5%
  • XML, 5%
Common technical editor skills
  • PowerPoint, 16%
  • English Language, 11%
  • Proofreading, 6%
  • Subject Matter Experts, 5%
  • Training Materials, 5%
  • XML, 4%

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