Quality assurance engineers test new products, interfaces, and business procedures to make sure they work as designed and expected. They use tools like paper prototypes, automated test scripts, and mobile testing to reduce the risk of bugs and errors being present in the final product. This makes their work more reliable and helps maintain a good quality standard. A common QA role is to test the software or web app that interacts with end users. This could include anything from a mobile app to a business website or an e-commerce interface. In this article, we’ll walk you through the basics of how to become a software quality assurance engineer so you can start your own testing career – whether you’re a QA newbie or a seasoned tester.
Set Your Goals
Before you can start applying for jobs or looking for training, you have to clearly understand what you’re aiming for. That way, you can set a solid foundation for your studies and prepare for the workplace in the right way. A good place to start is with the QASimple website. Here, you can find all the information you need to know about becoming a QA professional including:
- The differences between software testing and software quality assurance
- The various types of tests and checks professionals can perform
- What skills are required
- How much does it pay?
- What are the real-life problems testers face?
- The various paths to becoming a QA professional
Get The Licensing And Certifications
In most cases, you’ll need to earn a professional qualification to become a software quality assurance engineer. There are a few online learning platforms that can help you get your certification, including:
- PuppetLabs (only for DevOps professionals)
- SQAF (Simple and Quality Assurance For)
- QASimple (Quality Assurance For Beginners)
- Software Testing (for experienced testers)
- Software Quality Assurance (for experienced QA engineers)
- CTSQA (Certified Tester – Quality Assurance)
- CTSQA Affiliate (Certified Tester – Quality Assurance For Beginners)
Each of these certification programs covers topic such as software testing and design, which gives you a head start in the job market. You can also earn supplemental certifications from companies like PMI, which allow you to specialize in specific areas of software testing. For example, you can become a full-stack tester, which means you are able to test all types of software – from mobile apps to websites to hardware devices.
Choose The Right Career
While a solid background in software testing is useful, it’s not essential. You can enter the job market with little to no experience and gain valuable employment opportunities. However, if you want to grow your career, you’ll need to specialize in software quality assurance. This is where you’ll find the most opportunities and growth as a professional.
You have several options. If you’re looking for a career in testing, you can choose from within one of the four major job categories: software testing, system testing, web testing, and UI testing. Each of these has its unique set of skills and job prospects. For example, UI testing as a job description entails working with graphic designers and programmers to test out user interface design and functionality. This can be a great option for you if you like to work with your hands and have a good eye for design.
Get The Right Education
The next step is to gain the proper education needed to become a software quality assurance engineer. In most cases, you’ll need a bachelor’s degree in computer science or software engineering. You can also get an associate-level certification in software engineering from one of the major certification bodies, which will give you the basic knowledge you need to succeed in your role. This will also make you more competitive in the job market.
The more specialized your education, the more opportunities you’ll have. For example, if you get a master’s degree in software testing, you’ll be able to scope out more detailed job responsibilities and gain more specialized knowledge. This will increase your appeal to employers, especially those in large or mid-sized companies who value experience over education.
Build A Portfolio
Once you have all the necessary credentials, it’s time to begin building your portfolio. This is where you’ll show employers you are the expert they are looking for. Start by putting in the relevant work experience you have, whether it’s from a previous job, relevant volunteer work, or any other activity. You can also start a blog, which will provide you with a platform to show off your work and gain more experience.
Having a blog will be beneficial because it allows you to post frequently and consistently, providing the reader with value. If you want to grow your blog, consider doing some SEO (search engine optimization) on it, which will help drive in relevant traffic. You can also think about using a tool like WordPress to build your blog. WordPress makes it easy for beginners to get started, and the platform provides you with a solid foundation to build upon.
Join The Right Social Media Communities
With a little bit of SEO and some solid blogging, you can begin to build a profile as a thought leader in your industry. This will make you more attractive to employers, who will notice your name and consider you a worthy candidate for the job.
There are a number of social media communities you can join to show off your work and expand your network. Here are some of the most reputable ones:
- Twitter – Use this to keep up with the latest news, events, and technology buzz
- LinkedIn – An excellent place to network and find jobs
- StumbleUpon – Share interesting content, discover new things, and build a community
- Quora – Similar to LinkedIn, but more for experts to talk about their areas of expertise
- GitHub – Much like WordPress, but used for coding
Get The Right References
Now that you have a good network, it’s time to start seeking out the right references. These are people, organizations, or websites that can provide you with some quality control on your work. They can be a trusted team of experts you worked with before, a professional organization, or even a website that hosts customer reviews and testimonials. Contact these individuals and ask them if they’re willing to provide a reference. In most cases, they’ll be more than happy to help out a potential employer.
It’s also important to work on building up your email marketing list. You can do this through your blog, through social media, or even by asking people to sign up to receive email alerts from you. It’s a good idea to look into the various ways brands get listed on review websites, such as https://www.seotest.com/ and https://www.userTesting.com/ to see what free, quality resources are available to you.
Get Experience
The last step in preparing for the job market is to gain some real-world experience. This doesn’t have to be huge, but it should be applicable to your role. For example, if you’re going to test mobile apps, then you might want to try out a few of those apps to get some experience. Or, if you’re going to be testing websites, then you might want to set up a couple of fake online stores to get some practice building and interacting with websites.
If you’re looking for a career change, now is the perfect time to do it. With the right training and experience, you can find a high-paying job in a specialized role, and begin a new chapter in your life.