Make a Career in Software Testing

A lot of students who look forward to build a career in IT are keen to know if Software Testing could be stepping stone for them. Software testing is processes by means quality of the software is tested and improved. It is primarily done to figure out the differences between expected output and the actual output in software development.

Testing is done in each phase of Software Development Life Cycle.  It is quite clear to understand that software must meet the expectations of the client. The major objective behind testing is to improve the quality and reliability of the software by checking if or not the software is performing all the functions which it has been developed for.

How important is Testing?

Software testing has a very crucial role to play. It involves testing software for the desired performance and any possible bugs or faults. Here are two simple use cases:

• Imagine what would happen if a Bank software displays 10000 as 00000 in an account balance due to a bug in the software.
• What if a result uploading application marks a student as fail even if he/she has got a merit?

Displaying an error message could be a better option in case of such a problem. Testing thus checks software for such problems and then proceeds by fixing them.

What are the skills required?

A Software Tester has to work closely with software developers and project managers to understand more regarding what software is meant to do and who is going to use it. He would then perform functional testing, client oriented testing, performance testing and other levels of testing. The primary goal is to find out and remove any possible bugs and also enhancing the quality of the final software. Here are some skills which every software tester requires: Technical Skills A tester spends most of his time trying to split the software into parts and then test them for performance issues and bugs. This would require good aptitude and knowledge of testing methodologies and tools. Following are some required skills:

• Knowledge of what is Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) and how it works.
• Some knowledge about the popular testing tools like HP LoadRunner, HP QTP (HP Quick Test Professional), Selenium etc.
• Ability to locate and fix hidden bugs. This is also known as Debugging.
• Knowledge of different types of testing.
• For Automation testing, one is expected to have basic knowledge of programming skills (like C, Java, Html) because the test cases are developed in source codes.
• Knowledge of documentation and tools like MS Office.

Analytical and logical Skills The most critical part of the SDLC is Requirements. If the client fails to define all requirements clearly, then developers also fail to meet the actually expected requirements. This might be due to a communication gap or due to the inability of the client to efficiently explain the requirements. This is where the role of analytical skills comes into the picture. Here are some of the desired skills:

• Ability to analyze different situations the client can face while using the software.
• In depth knowledge of the software under testing.
• Understanding of workflows to foresee any negative scenarios.
• Logical and analytical skills required to suggest any changes or improvement required to make the product better to the client.

Ability to understand business Testers shouldn’t necessarily be a domain expert for the software being tested but they are expected to have a basic ability to understand it. This is important for understanding the business, identifying possible risks and explaining these risks to client while using the software. We need not elaborate on the importance of good communication skills and interpersonal skills for any career today.

Certifications

Certifications always play a key role in increasing the professional value of any IT professional. A label of approval from an acclaimed organization is an added advantage to help you get hired by a top IT company.

• International Software Testing Qualifications Board (ISTQB) is an international organization which provides software testing qualifications across more than 71 countries. In India the corresponding organisation is the Indian Testing Board. 

• QAI (Quality Assurance International) is another organization offering testing specific certifications like: CAST (Certified Associate in Software Testing), CASQ (Certified Associate in Software Quality) and CSQA (Certified Software Quality Analyst).

Some managerial level certifications are: CMST (Certified Manager of Software Testing), ClearQuest Test Manager (CQTM) and Project Management Professional (PMP).

Career in Software Testing

As per the current market potential in IT domain, the career opportunities for Software Testing are enormous. According to a recent survey US invests a total of $ 60 billion on software testing, out of which only $15 billion is outsourced to some of the the Asian countries. Out of this 15 billion, around $10 billion (which is almost 70%) is collected by IT companies in India, like Cognizant, Satyam, Accenture, Wipro and Infosys. There are multiple job roles in Software Testing. Here are some major ones:

• Trainee Software Tester
• Associate/Junior Software Tester/Junior Trainer
• Senior Software Tester/Senior Trainer
• Test Leader/Training Manager
• Test Manager/Test Architect/Consultant
• Senior Test Manager/Senior Test Architect
• QA Tester
• Vice President/Head of Testing/Director

Software Quality Assurance (QA) is another popular field associated with testing. It is a set of processes which to assuring high quality of software. Software Testing is one part of it.

Whether you wish to jump into software development later on or continue with a career in Software Testing, it is wise to pick software testing as your first job. According to prediction by Gartner, Software Testing Industry is expected to be worth $50 million through 2014.

If you’re looking forward to learn Software Testing, you can post your Software Testing Requirement here. Please leave your questions and feedback in the comments below.