The job market is evolving and growing daily. Future predictions emphasize the prevalence of IT positions and opportunities in the tech field. Many people feel pressured by such news, especially those whose degree is not in tech. Yet, the IT field favors people who can grow and adapt to changes.
You can land a job in tech if you are curious and learn fast. As an IT student, you have the advantage of acquiring the position of your dreams, but it greatly depends on your area of interest. If you are creative, attentive to details, and love to resolve the most complicated cases, then software testing is something you would like.
Software engineering, testing, and QA would always stay relevant on the job market. Everything you see on the Internet and app market, the popular, write my essay service, or editing program, everything undergoes the process of examination. Even an AI can make mistakes that are an easy fix for a professional.
Here are the set of skills that are a must to get a software testing job. Practice and experience make it perfect, and being ready to learn every day is where you can get started.
Contents of Post
1. The Key Responsibilities of a Software Testing Specialist:
- Analyzing cases, user feedback, validity, and feasibility requirements;
- Execution of testing (system, integration, regression);
- Development of automation scripts;
- Detection and tracking of software defects and inconsistencies;
- Resolving errors and inconsistencies;
- Development of overall improvement strategies;
- Development of documentation and support;
- Cooperation with all departments of the product team;
2. Types of Testing
- Manual: you have to play a role of an end-user and try all features of the software to find bugs and errors;
- Automation: you have to write a script automating test activities to save time in the long run;
- Performance: you have to put the software through a specific workload and evaluate how it responds at maximum capacity;
3. Academic Background
IT students have a tremendous advantage with their Computer Sciences degrees. Whether it is BCA or MCA (Bachelor of Master of Computer Applications), BTech, or BS, you can be sure to know the kitchen that would be relevant in the future.
If you do not have a degree, you should complete certification courses The Certified Software Tester (CSTE) or International Software Testing Qualifications Board (ISTQB). Even though you learn many aspects on the spot, you have to understand relevant testing methodologies.
4. Knowledge in System Development Life Cycle (SDLC)
SDLC is the baseline for any testing cycle planning. You have to know all stages and processes going on when developing the application. In this way, you can predict the most common issues and bugs that can occur. Your role in this lifecycle is crucial, and you have to know everything that happened until you got the software to investigate it.
5. Understanding of DevOps and Agile
Both Agile and DevOps seem to be something that goes by different paths. Yet, both are modern methodologies for successfully collaborating with other teams. The needs of users drive Agile. On the other hand, DevOps emphasizes the optimization of the development process.
It means that you have to know the lifecycle of a product, but also you have to communicate with your colleagues to understand it better. These two approaches can function conjointly. If you want the software to work efficiently and develop it within reasonable deadlines, you need to be fluent in these practices.
6. Knowledge of Database or Structured Query Language (SQL)
SQL has been a standard programming language for database management for a long time. Knowing and understanding it is essential to uphold your responsibilities. Systems operate with a large set of data in the background, which you need to know how to validate. The data is held in various databases, and specialists need to manipulate the data to get the desired solution for errors.
7. Usage of Test Management Tools
It is a significant aspect of the position. You have to know a set of management techniques to successfully apply your knowledge and find the areas of applications that need improvement. You do not have to know all the tools out there on the market. That doesn’t mean you should not know the tools most commonly used by companies.
Examples of tools available for testers:
- TestMonitor is perfect for requirement and risk-based examination. It allows connecting to other services like Jira, DevOps, and Slack to coordinate issues and results in track;
- TestRail allows you to capture cases details and scenarios with screenshots and potential outcomes;
- XQual is great for manual and automated tests with shared resources, and REST API integration;
8. Programming Knowledge
If you have zero ideas about software development (and we are not referring to the softwares’ life cycle) it would be hard for you to grasp how code works. It’s an advantage for a specialist to know several programming languages. If you know the principles, you can predict and provide necessary solutions for bugs and errors.
You need to understand how operating systems work, as most software is a multi-platform experience. It includes learning the iOS and Android OS as well.
9. Domain Knowledge
Sometimes you would need to possess additional knowledge in various domains. It is a skill that helps you walk in the shoes of a user and predict what can be lacking in a product and how it responds to the needs of end-users. For instance, if you work with medical apps, you should grasp core requirements for the app to be compliant and features to be implemented properly.
10. Soft Skills
Being a software specialist requires good time management and organization skills, with communication as a priority. Analytical skills are a must to know where to start and how to approach your tasks. You have to be passionate about your job and attentive to every detail to achieve success.
Wrapping Up
The role of software testing can appear as something less relevant than software development. Yet, it plays a role in any project. It is hard to imagine an app that would be perfect from the get-go. Therefore, a tester should be an all-seeing eye who can spot the bug and know how to resolve it.