Starting a career in Software Testing

In today’s tech industry, Software Testing is an extremely sought after position. If you are a recent graduate looking to kick-start your career in IT or a professional seeking a role change, starting your career in Software Testing will be a good decision to make.

Testers are the behind the scene heroes of software being developed. They are always involved in every stage of software development ensuring the quality of product and processes are being followed. They are at the forefront of testing.

What is Software Testing

Software Testing is a process of authenticating a computer system/program to choose whether it meets the specific needs and produces the anticipated results.

Some Essential Skills to Get Started Your Career in Software Testing

The Non-Technical Skills

• Communication skill: In software testing, it is essential to have good communication skills. The testing objects such as bug reports, test strategies, test cases written by the tester should be easy to read and understand.
• Exceptional attitude: To be an excellent software tester you require to have a great attitude. A boldness to ‘test to break,’ aspect orientation, willingness to learn, and advanced process enhancements.
• Logical skills: A good software tester should have excellent analytical skills. This will help break down a complex software system into subordinate units to get a better understanding and generate test cases.
• Time management & Planning skills: Testing at times can be a difficult job mainly over the release of a product. A software tester needs to handle workload efficiently, and display optimal time management.
• Passion: To Excel in any profession or job, one must develop a passion for it. Thus, a software tester must have a passion for his/her field.

The Technical Skills

• Basic understanding of Linux commands: Some products like Web-Services, Application Servers, are organized on Linux machines. So, it will be a good idea for testers to have a piece of knowledge about Linux commands.
• Basic knowledge of SQL/Database: Information is stored in different types of databases like MySQL, Oracle behind the code. So, there will be a need when this data needs to be authenticated. Simple/composite SQL queries can be used to check whether appropriate data/information is stored in the back-end databases.
• Hands-on Experience with an Automation tool
• Knowledge and hands-on experience of a Test Management Tool: A tool like Testlink can be used for tracking all the test cases written by your team.
• Knowledge and hands-on experience of any Defect Tracking tool- Defect tracking becomes necessary because the entire team should know about the defect including managers, developers, and testers. Several tools are used to lock defects including Jira, QC, Microsoft Azure, Bugzilla, etc.
• Learn at least one programming language

Responsibilities of a Software Tester

Now that you have a basic understanding of what a tester does, let us take a look at the 4 major responsibilities of a software tester.

• Analyze a requirement
• Estimate test efforts
• Document test cases
• Test, find, and report bugs

Why Become a Tester?

If you are the type that reviews software or product, or you can detect faults in the software you use, then a career in software testing can be the ideal path for you.

A software tester’s job is challenging and interesting. As a tester, you get to collaborate with the entire product team thereby giving you room to develop a wide range of skills.

10 Reasons why Software Testing is a Good Career Option

1. Software Testing is in Demand
2. Testers get Good Pay
3. It easy to enter into IT through Software Testing
4. Switch from Development to Testing is Easy
5. Testing tools are easy to learn
6. Good Onsite Opportunities
7. Can work as Freelancer
8. It is easy to come back after the career gap
9. Career Shift from Testing to Business Analyst is easy
10. A Career Shift from Testing to Project Management is easy

What a Software Tester’s Career Path Looks Like

• QA Analyst: This is the entry step to a career where there is no requirement for any work experience.
• Snr. QA Analyst: Work experience is approximately 2–3 years
• QA Team Coordinator/Lead: This comes next in the hierarchy and usually comes after one gets an experience of 4 - 6 years.
• Test Manager: A highly important position and usually one needs the experience of 6–11 years to reach this peak.
• Senior Test Manager: Being the highest position in the path, an experience of more than 11 years is required for this.

How to Enter the Field of Software Testing

Now that you know what a software tester’s career path might look like, knowing the necessary steps to take in this career path is a must.

1. Make the decision
2. Training & Certifications — Have The Right Skill Set Required For The Job.
3. Get a Mentor
4. Engage In The Community (Meetups, Social media, online discussion)
5. Write A Perfect Cover Letter And Resume
6. Float Your Resume — Update your LinkedIn profile and other social media platforms to reflect your new role
7. Freelance
8. Enroll for Internship (Free or Paid)

Summing Up

With an increase in software being built, the demand for software testers in IT firms has increased. Software testing & software testers determine the quality and usability of the end product. Thus, the need for skilled testers is bound to keep rising.

Therefore, you need to get yourself trained in the basic skills required to start a career in testing and also learn the latest automation tools and frameworks.

About the Writer

Technically-skilled highly motivated and result-driven Software QA Engineer with over 10 years plus in the software development industry and 7 years of experience in the field of manual and automation software testing.

1. Name: Fagbohungbe Oluwatobi
2. Years of Experience: 7+
3. Hobbies: Sports, Music, Swimming
4. Twitter|Medium: @tobyfagboh
5. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tobyfagboh/
6. Website: tobifagbohungbe.com

Learning Guides: -

• Software Testing Tutorials — link
• Selenium — link As an alternative you can also learn QTP
• Jmeter — link As an alternative you can also learn Loadrunner
• Testlink — link As an alternative you can also learn Quality Center
• Guru99 — Link Software Testing Tutorial