How statistics are calculated
We count how many offers each candidate received and for what salary. For example, if a Technical Writer developer with Adobe Photoshop with a salary of $4,500 received 10 offers, then we would count him 10 times. If there were no offers, then he would not get into the statistics either.
The graph column is the total number of offers. This is not the number of vacancies, but an indicator of the level of demand. The more offers there are, the more companies try to hire such a specialist. 5k+ includes candidates with salaries >= $5,000 and < $5,500.
Median Salary Expectation – the weighted average of the market offer in the selected specialization, that is, the most frequent job offers for the selected specialization received by candidates. We do not count accepted or rejected offers.
Trending Technical Writer tech & tools in 2024
Technical Writer
What Does a Technical Writer Do?
A technical writer creates documents that enable people to use products, or that explain abstract concepts to a general readership. A technical writer may collate information or re-express it in digestible form for a target audience. Depending on the industry they support, they may write instruction manuals, guides, journal articles, or other forms of supporting documentation. Technical writers may be employed by companies that manufacture products, but they could also be employed by copywriting agencies that write technical documents for multiple client companies.
Their task would depend on their specialisation. Here follows a list of specialisations in which technical writers work, and a description of what each type of technical writer does:
- Medicine and Science: A medical or scientific technical writer writes documents for medical and scientific products or research, such as reports for clinical trials and research papers.
- Marketing: This is a technical writer who creates technical artefacts for marketing materials (such as white papers and case studies).
- Software and Technology: A technical writer in this field would likely be writing customer support documents for software and technology products, such as user manuals.
- Business and Finance: A business or finance technical writer writes documents such as contracts, proposals, and financial documents that aid in business transactions.
- Technical Writing: Educational or teaching technical writer – Writes documents for educational or teaching purposes. Creates classroom or learning materials such as training manuals, study guides, resources, workbooks, and textbooks.
- Engineering: A technical writer who specialises in engineering would write instructions for engineering products like user manuals, diagrams, and schematics for engineering products.
Duties and Responsibilities for Technical Writers
The exact duties of a technical writer will depend on the field of work and the specific company for which he or she is writing. Some of the typical duties include:
- Researching and Gathering Technical Information: Technical writers research and work with subject matter experts to gather technical information and ensure that the document is fully developed and technically accurate.
- Establishing the Project: Technical writers must consider who will use the document, and adjust format and mode accordingly for this project.
- Editing and Proofreading: A technical writer edits and proofreads his or her own writing and the writing of other technical writers to make sure the documents they produce are free of grammatical errors and technical inaccuracies.
- Liaising with Clients: A technical writer working for an agency or freelance will communicate with their clients about their needs and standards, as well as respond to client feedback.
- Working on Several Projects at the Same Time: Technical writers can be assigned several projects at one time. These writers must be able to manage their time to meet their project deadlines.
Typical Salary for a Technical Writer
These writers make an average salary of $60,520 a year. Technical writers can be part-time, hourly employees, or full-time, salaried members of a technical writing team. Others are freelance writers who are paid per document by their clients. A technical writer’s salary can be based on the years of experience and credentials they have, as well as the location and size of the company.
For the most up-to-date salary information from Indeed, click on the link(s) provided.
Technical Writer Qualifications
Education Requirements for Technical Writers
A great many technical writers have degrees in technical writing, professional writing or English. Your schooling may include coursework in business writing, nonfiction writing and editing. The more extra-curricular technological courses you take, the better prepared you’ll be for a technical writing career. Or you can get a degree in engineering, computer science, or another technical field and then take coursework in communications and business writing. Most of the time, a four-year degree suffices to get a technical writer job, but many of these writers also have master’s degrees.
Skills for Technical Writers
Technical writers typically have the following skills:
- Writing: A technical writer uses words to explain complicated information in simple terms. Technical writers might also have to write for several hours at a time.
- Communicating: As a technical writer, you might have to collaborate with other co-workers or clients in order to create good material. The ability to communicate with others will ensure that you are able to work with others to write documents.
- Problem-Solving: You may have to first figure out, before you document, how something works; or you may use your problem-solving skills to write up simple documents that describe more complex processes.
- Research: Doing more research can help you write more detailed instructions for someone else. Clients usually give you the information to do an assignment, but you might want to do more research to better understand the concepts.
- Online Publishing: Many technical writers write for websites and other online media. If the company uses online publishing software or a content management system (CMS) to produce web content, experience with that tool or tools will give you a leg up in the hiring process.
Where is Adobe Photoshop used?
Photo Wizardry in Hollywood
- In the land of glitz and glamour, Photoshop is the genie out of the bottle, making actors age backwards and zapping pesky blemishes to another dimension.
Magical Marketing Material
- Need a unicorn on your pamphlet? Photoshop conjures mythical creatures onto flyers, enchanting potential customers into opening their wallets.
History Reimagined
- Ever seen Abe Lincoln grooving to a disco ball? Photoshop's time-travel skills remix historical photos for memes that tickle your funny bone.
Pixel Perfect Websites
- Web wizards use Photoshop to concoct eye-candy layouts, ensuring websites look sharp enough to slice through virtual clutter.
Adobe Photoshop Alternatives
GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program)
Open-source raster graphics editor for photo retouching, image composition and image authoring.
- Free and open-source.
- Customizable interface.
- Extensive plugin support.
- Less polished user interface.
- Slower performance with large files.
- Steep learning curve for beginners.
Affinity Photo
Professional photo editing software with extensive retouching tools and compatibility with Photoshop files.
- Affordable one-time payment.
- Non-destructive editing workflow.
- PSD import and export support.
- Limited plugin support.
- No free version available.
- Less community support compared to Photoshop.
Pixelmator Pro
MacOS-only image editing app known for its intuitive interface and optimized for performance on Apple devices.
- Optimized for MacOS with Metal 2.
- User-friendly, modern UI.
- One-time purchase with free updates.
- Only available for macOS.
- Less advanced features than Photoshop.
- No mobile or web version.
Quick Facts about Adobe Photoshop
Behold the Birth of a Pixel-Wrangling Overlord
In 1987, two brothers, Thomas and John Knoll, sparked a revolution from their humble abode. They unleashed Photoshop, initially named 'Display,' upon an art world craving digital wizardry. This pixel-tweaking sorcery allowed mortals to manipulate images with clicks and keystrokes, departing from the ancient ways of darkroom alchemy.
A Lineage of Pixel-Jugglers and Wand-Wavers
Continually evolving, Photoshop has worn many mystical cloaks since its inception. From a simple display program, it transformed into 'ImagePro,' but the name was already taken—like a taken wand at a wizard duel. In 1990, Adobe Photoshop 1.0 was conjured exclusively for Macintosh users, making PC folks green with pixel envy until version 2.5.
Sorcery of Layers and Spells of Portability
In the epoch known as 1994, our beloved contraption discovered the arcane secret of layers with version 3.0—allowing image conjurers to stack their enchantments neatly, like a pile of magical pancakes. Portable Network Graphics (PNG) support was whispered into it in version 5.5, which is like teaching an old warlock new tricks—a groundbreaking charm!
/* Here's a spell to conjure the arcane secret of layers in Photoshop script */
var docRef = app.documents.add(640, 480, 72, "MagicalPancakeStack");
var layerRef = docRef.artLayers.add();
layerRef.name = "EnchantmentLayerOne";
What is the difference between Junior, Middle, Senior and Expert Adobe Photoshop developer?
Seniority Name | Years of Experience | Average Salary (USD/year) | Responsibilities & Activities |
---|---|---|---|
Junior | 0-2 | $30,000 - $50,000 |
|
Middle | 2-5 | $50,000 - $70,000 |
|
Senior | 5-10 | $70,000 - $90,000 |
|
Expert/Team Lead | 10+ | $90,000+ |
|
Top 10 Adobe Photoshop Related Tech
JavaScript
Like the parsley on your digital plate, JavaScript is ubiquitous in web-based Photoshop plugins. It's the sprig that seasons your code and makes those Photoshop scripts dance. Whether you're making buttons do the cha-cha or sliders waltz smoothly across the interface, JavaScript is your go-to groove.
// Snippet to create an alert in Photoshop:
var cTID = function(s) { return app.charIDToTypeID(s); };
var sTID = function(s) { return app.stringIDToTypeID(s); };
var executeAction = function(action, desc, dialogMode) {
try { app.executeAction(action, desc, dialogMode); }
catch(e) { /* Handle errors gracefully like a cat sneezing */ }
};
var desc = new ActionDescriptor();
var reference = new ActionReference();
reference.putEnumerated(cTID('Dcmn'), cTID('Ordn'), cTID('Trgt'));
desc.putReference(cTID('null'), reference);
executeAction(sTID('show'), desc, DialogModes.NO);HTML/CSS
These are the peanut butter and jelly of web design for Photoshop panels—classic, reliable, and oh-so-spreadable. With HTML setting the stage and CSS giving it that pizzazz, your custom panels will be strutting down the runway in no time. Ready to make your UI so fly, it needs its own boarding pass.
/* A snippet of CSS to style a button in a Photoshop panel */
.button {
background-color: #4CAF50; /* Green */
border: none;
color: white;
padding: 15px 32px;
text-align: center;
text-decoration: none;
display: inline-block;
font-size: 16px;
margin: 4px 2px;
cursor: pointer;
}
/* The HTML for the button */Adobe CEP
Adobe's Common Extensibility Platform (CEP) is the wizard behind the curtain, enabling you with Potteresque prowess to concoct spells that extend Photoshop's core functionality. If Dumbledore were a developer, this would be his wand, weaving HTML, CSS, and JS into extensions that perform visual magic.
// Here's how you might get started with a basic CEP extension in JavaScript.
var csInterface = new CSInterface();
var extensionId = csInterface.getExtensionID();
alert("Extension ID: " + extensionId);Adobe ExtendScript
Sometimes old-school is the cool school! ExtendScript is like Photoshop's Latin, intricate and ancient. It's the code equivalent of a grandparent who knows all the best tricks to get the software to spill its secrets, letting you automate tasks with scripts that make the Mona Lisa wink.
// ExtendScript snippet that creates a new document in Photoshop.
var newDocument = app.documents.add(800, 600, 72, "My New Masterpiece");Node.js
Gone are the days when JavaScript was confined to the browser, now it's running free on the server-side meadows with Node.js. With Node.js, you can build back-end services for your Photoshop plugins or even scale Mount Everest with your server-side scripting—carabiners not included.
// Node.js example snippet for a simple server.
const http = require('http');
http.createServer((req, res) => {
res.writeHead(200, {'Content-Type': 'text/plain'});
res.end('Hello Photoshop World\n');
}).listen(1337, '127.0.0.1');React.js
If Photoshop had a buddy cop movie, React.js would be the cool, modern partner that slaps on sunglasses and sets the action music rolling. It's all about crafting interactive UIs with state-of-the-art ease, turning your panels into smooth operators that handle user input like it’s a casual Tuesday.
// A React component snippet that could be part of a Photoshop plugin panel.
class ColorPicker extends React.Component {
state = { color: '#fff' }
onChange = (event) => {
this.setState({ color: event.target.value });
}
render() {
return (
<input type="color" value={this.state.color} onChange={this.onChange} />
);
}
}Vue.js
Imagine if you will, a UI library that's like a polite butler for your Photoshop panels. Vue.js keeps your codebase trim and tidy, always ready to fetch your data bindings and update your DOM without fussing about like a chicken missing its head.
// A Vue.js instance that could run a part of a Photoshop plugin's panel.
new Vue({
el: '#app',
data: {
message: 'Hello Vue!'
}
})Webpack
Packing for a trip to the browser can be a hassle, but Webpack's the personal organizer that neatly folds your JavaScript and assets into a carry-on. With modules bundled tighter than a holidaymaker's suitcase, it ensures your Photoshop plugin is svelte and ready to fly.
// Sample Webpack config snippet to bundle a Photoshop panel project.
const path = require('path');
module.exports = {
entry: './src/index.js',
output: {
filename: 'bundle.js',
path: path.resolve(__dirname, 'dist'),
},
// Add additional config as needed...
};Babel
Speaking of freshness, Babel's the hipster smoothie blend of the coding world, turning your next-gen JavaScript ES6+ code into a concoction that even the grumpiest old browsers can digest. Cheers to keeping your code future-proof and stomach-friendly!
// Babel usage example: a simple .babelrc file.
{
"presets": ["@babel/preset-env"]
}Electron
Last but not least, if Photoshop had a sidekick, it would be Electron. It's the buddy that lets you take those web technologies on a desktop adventure, creating standalone applications that work on Windows, Mac, and Linux, so your Photoshop extravaganza goes cross-platform without a hiccup.
// An Electron snippet to create a window.
const { app, BrowserWindow } = require('electron');
function createWindow () {
let win = new BrowserWindow({ width: 800, height: 600 });
win.loadURL('https://your-photoshop-plugin-url-here.com');
}
app.on('ready', createWindow);