How to Start a Career in Software Testing

In this article, we will discuss software testing and how you can start a challenging and progressive career in the field of Software Testing.

Software Testing Definition

Software testing aims to check whether the actual results of a product under development match the expected results and the person who is responsible for this is known as a software tester or QA (Quality Analyst).

Types of Testers

The types of testers are:

• Manual Testers
• Automation Testers

Manual Testers:

The manual tester is the person who creates the test scenarios and tests the product as an end-user. Manual testing is inclusive of the following tests

• Creating a Test Plan
• Writing Test Cases
• Assigning Test Cases to the team
• Generating reports

Manual testing is a hefty and time-consuming process. Manual testing is processed without the help of any tools or test scripts.

Automation Testers:

Automation testers can automate the whole process of testing with the help of various automation tools. Automation testing came into the picture to help with manual testing and increase the efficiency of the overall testing process.

Automation testing is not easy to learn as compared to manual testing one must have a good knowledge of programming languages so that they can understand the test scripts and identify any errors easily.

What are the roles and responsibilities of a software tester?

If you have stepped in as a software tester there will be various roles and responsibilities based on your profile and depending on the organization you join. Some of the common responsibilities you need to look upon areas:

• Creation of test cases and scenarios for the product under testing.
• Perform software testing in close coordination with the development team.
• Interaction with clients for requirements
• Analyzing the results and making a report based on the data.

Till now we have you covered with the basic idea of what software testing is and what your would-be responsibilities are if you were going to pursue a career in the field of software testing.

Let's go further and discuss how you could become a software tester.

How to become a software tester?

Landing in a software testing field seems to be a difficult task but believe me, it isn't. It's a role that perfectly suits everyone whether you are from a technical background i.e. Computer Science, IT branches, or from other core branches. i.e., Electrical, Mechanical, etc.

Moving to a corporate sector requires a skill set of both technical as well as non-technical skills. Thus, you need to possess them both to excel in any field.

Technical Skills:

• Learn Programming Basics: Landing in It field requires you to have at least a basic understanding of programming languages. Since you are going to work on the software, you must understand what the code means and what errors it has.
• Basics of Database and SQL: You don't need to have any experience or a very high-end understanding of the database and SQL but you must know the basics because every software stores a large amount of data thus it's important to have a good understanding.
• Learn about Software testing: If you are from the technical field you must have learned the basics of software testing as syllabi of the year graduate program. Start preparing for different types of tests, what are the test scenarios, how to generate a report, and other related things.
• Look For An Internship: Start looking up for internships you will get to learn various things and trust me the exposure hits different rather than your continuous learning you might be aware of the problem theoretically but solving it practically is not that easy.
• Getting a certification: Getting a certification will add value to your resume and have a positive effect on the recruiters.
• Practice Testing: It seems hard as I said how to practice without knowing anything but trust me it's the easiest of the above mentioned. You must be using different apps and websites and may encounter inappropriate behavior.

Non-Technical Skills:

• Update Your Profiles: Try to continuously update your profile with every course you do on LinkedIn. Make your profile look good and be open for jobs. Because several times the HR representatives make or post jobs on LinkedIn.

• Passion to learn: You shall be curious to learn with the advancement in technologies you need to develop your skills to be in the market. Online sources play a great role in learning these courses with the updated content. You can try various platforms like Udemy, Coursera, and even lectures available on YouTube.

• Communication Skills: Being a tester it's your responsibility to be in continuous touch with the development team to report any errors or bugs thus you need to have good communication skills.

• Time Management Skills: As a tester, you need to be well planned because every product comes with a fleas date and to make it happen on time you must be efficient and well unplanned.

Conclusion:

Testing is indispensable. It's the lifeline of software. Quality is a thing that can uplift you from your competitors. No company wants to make its customers sad and unhappy.

In every sector, there is a quality control team whose responsibility is to check the product under development. Thus the job of a software tester is very crucial and can't be undermined. Check out more details on software testing.

About the Author:

Rahul Singh is an engineering graduate of MITS Gwalior. He is a tech enthusiast and an avid learner. He likes to read and write about technology-related topics.