Undoubtedly, choosing a career is an important and critical decision for anyone. Be it a fresh college graduate, or a trained professional ready for a career change, choosing a career can be tough. One should consider their career options carefully before delving into a career/profession. It would be advisable for one to consult an industry proficient person, reading about career pathways, networking, and obtaining right education and training, to make the process less stressful in deciding the career path that’s the best fit for you.
Select a career that will make you happy, have fun, little or no stress, a satisfying salary compensation and meets the long-term goals you would like to achieve!
If you are new to software industry or an experienced professional looking to get into the IT industry, here are some points to help you consider a career in software testing:
What Is Quality Assurance And Testing?
Quality Assurance and Testing are not the same but are interrelated. Quality Assurance and Quality Control(testing) comes under a broader term "Quality Management". Test activities are part of the overall software development or maintenance process.
According to International Software Testing Qualifications Board (ISTQB):
“Quality management includes all activities that direct and control an organization with regard to quality. Among other activities, quality management includes both quality assurance and quality control. Quality assurance is typically focused on adherence to proper processes, in order to provide confidence that the appropriate levels of quality will be achieved. Quality control involves various activities, including test activities, that support the achievement of appropriate levels of quality. As Quality assurance is concerned with the proper execution of the entire process, quality assurance supports proper testing.”
Increasing Industry Demands Needs More Testers
Software Testing is now done is in parallel to SDLC (Software Development Lifecycle) to support speeding needs of quality products for enterprises. Software development methodologies such as Agile, DevOps, and the latest technologies such as Cloud computing, Machine Learning, and Internet of Things (IOT) require effective test strategies and test techniques to be in place. Companies are considering shifting the trend towards test automation, continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) to meet their product requirements.
Purpose of QA Is To Make Products Better
“Software testing is a way to assess the quality of a software and to reduce the risk of software failure in operation”, as per ISTQB. There is a misconception among testers that software testing is finding of bugs. While the objective of testing is to make the software usable for the customer by fulfilling the requirements. As a QA, you will understand the customer requirements and check the product quality.
Career Pathways For A QA Professional
In today’s world, an experienced QA professional can fulfill high positions in companies. Apart from being a senior tester, test lead or test manager, other Roles such as DevOps Engineer, Business Analyst, Test Architect, Scrum Master, and Product Manager are suitable for successful QA professionals looking for career advancements. Thus, a QA can make a transition to a variety of roles.
Software Testing Is A Secure Profession
With the rising use of mobile devices such as: tablets, and laptops, the software industry is not going to die anyway in the coming years. Many new tools within built frameworks, ready-made code, and intellisense feature are available in market; making it easier to start off coding with few lines of code, than traditional development approach which needed development from scratch. Due to this, in the future, it is going to be a challenge for developers to find work and not the testers. The job of a tester is to test the final product(s). So, software testers can be assured that their roles/positions are safe, they
will only need stay updated with the latest technologies.
Required Analytical and Detail Oriented Skills to Begin a QA Career
Some of the key skills required for this profession are good problem - solving skills, attention to details, and excellent analytical and investigative skills. A side from that, your passion, dedication and efforts matter. A QA profession does not require any core certification or particular academic qualification to start. Any graduate is eligible to start a career in QA profession. Now you have reasons to choose quality assurance as a career!
busyQA is a software consulting and training company, an industry leader with passionate technologists serving multinational clients in building their softwares. With industry experts, who currently work in MNC's, busyQA trains students, and professionals on various technology courses. Its career development, and training programs, includes co-op on the job placement, and experience.
For more information about busyQA’s software testing training courses, do not hesitate to give them a call, and schedule a one-on- one consultation. busyQA also provides free one day bootcamps/information sessions for those undecided about shifting into the IT industry.