Writing consultant vs senior technical writer

The differences between writing consultants and senior technical 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 writing consultant and a senior technical writer. Additionally, a senior technical writer has an average salary of $70,820, which is higher than the $32,574 average annual salary of a writing consultant.

The top three skills for a writing consultant include writing process, proper grammar and grammatical errors. The most important skills for a senior technical writer are technical documentation, subject matter experts, and API.

Writing consultant vs senior technical writer overview

	Writing Consultant	Senior Technical Writer
Yearly salary	$32,574	$70,820
Hourly rate	$15.66	$34.05
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	15,003	80,897
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 76%	Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	2	2

Writing consultant vs senior technical writer salary

Writing consultants and senior technical writers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Writing Consultant	Senior Technical Writer
Average salary	$32,574	$70,820
Salary range	Between $21,000 And $50,000	Between $54,000 And $92,000
Highest paying City	-	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	PayPal
Best paying industry	-	Technology

Differences between writing consultant and senior technical writer education

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

	Writing Consultant	Senior Technical Writer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 76%	Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Most common major	English	English
Most common college	University of Houston	University of Houston

Writing consultant vs senior technical writer demographics

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

	Writing Consultant	Senior Technical Writer
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 33.1% Female, 66.9%	Male, 51.8% Female, 48.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.7% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 8.8% White, 71.2% 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, 71.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between writing consultant and senior technical writer duties and responsibilities

Writing consultant example responsibilities.

Manage SharePoint documentation repository, including some administrator duties.
Provide exceptional knowledge of language, grammar, and composition in order to assist international students to achieve academic excellence.
Manipulate on-line content using HTML and CMS tools, e.g., Google pages and WordPress.
Gain proficiency in MLA, APA, and Chicago composition formats, and educate writers in the distinctions of each.
Apply different styles of writing such as AP, APA, MLA, and CMS to formatting and proofreading final copy.
Create PowerPoint presentations for CEO.

Senior technical writer example responsibilities.

Manage and participate in logistics programs, and commercial and DOD technical manual complements.
Manage team activities for internal and client documentation development that supports the SDLC methodology.
Lead team to deliver the first simultaneous release of the product stack across UNIX platforms.
Manage multiple SharePoint sites for active documentation projects and resulting archives to meet customer version control and compliance requirements.
Identify and initiate wholesale computer upgrade to accommodate new CMS while allocating and managing staff resources devote to developing the software.
Design and develop standalone and context-sensitive help with RoboHelp HTML, enhancing application usability.

Writing consultant vs senior technical writer skills

Common writing consultant skills

Writing Process, 21%
Proper Grammar, 12%
Grammatical Errors, 10%
MLA, 6%
APA, 5%
ESL, 4%

Common senior technical writer skills

Technical Documentation, 7%
Subject Matter Experts, 6%
API, 4%
Java, 4%
PowerPoint, 4%
XML, 4%

Writing Consultant vs. similar jobs

Writing Consultant related careers

Writing Consultant related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Arts, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Industry
Writing Consultant
Writing Consultant vs Senior Technical Writer

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse arts, entertainment, sports, and media jobs