We are at a juncture where no software leaves the production house without undergoing some form of testing. Without testing, the software and the company are at risk. Not just that, testing has become a client demand and they even ask for testers on board. Why? Software testing has become the most crucial aspect of SDLC.
So it’s obvious that career-related software testing is on an all-time rise. So why software testers? How to become a software tester or QA tester? Software tester ensures that the product that’s made out of millions of dollars and weeks/months/year will not go in vain Testers ensure that the product is robust and it’s usable.
Whether you are outsourcing the testing work or have a team on board, testing has become as important as SDLC (software development life cycle). Anyhow, if you are someone who is interested in software testing as a career and willing to know how to become a software tester? we can help you in kicking it off. We can help you a glimpse of what companies are looking for.
Introduction: How to Become a Software Tester?
In simple terms, a software tester is a professional that is responsible for analysing software applications, identifying defects, ensuring functionality, and also maintaining the quality standards. In the software development life cycle, software testers play a very important role. Becoming a software tester needs skills that include manual and automation testing in order to stimulate real world scenarios. In order to become a software tester, the goal should be that the software functions as intended, user friendly and meets requirements. Also effective communication is required, as software testers need to collaborate with developers to report issues and track resolutions. Software testers are an integral part in providing high quality software products to end users.
Learn about SDLC ( Software Development Life Cycle)
From the design phase to the market the software must go through various stages and processes. All this in its entirety is called SDLC. Let’s have a look at SDLC phases
Requirement analysis
Planning
Software design such as architectural design
Software development
Testing
Deployment
With the help of a proper SDLC methodology such as agile, DevOps, etc., you can streamline the entire development process by improving collaboration, communication, and quality of SDLC.
Learn about software engineering
The whole concept of software engineering is built on three factors - `Fast-paced development, efficiency, and innovation. So learning about software engineering will help you gain a new perspective on the development process. The main benefits of software engineering include,
Despite project size, it can be managed well
Resources used for any project are scalable
Cost management is explicable
The dynamic nature of the software can be handled easily
Quality is built into the project than the age-old method of testing everything at the end.
Communication channels will be diverse and will be as efficient as possible
Programming knowledge
Ok, the real question here is do you need a programming language to be a software tester? The answer would be no! You don't have to. But, without programming knowledge, you cannot perform code reviews, write automation scripts even run and maintain a test automation framework. Learning basic coding using languages such as Ruby, JAVA, C#, Python, etc. would be an added advantage when companies consider your candidature as well to move further in your career.
Get certified
Certifications will give more weightage to your candidature for sure. But apart from that, Software testing certifications are an opportunity to learn deeply about the subject. Whether you wish to learn at a basic or advanced level there are certifications available. Here are some of the most acclaimed ones
International Software Testing Qualifications Board (ISTQB) Certification
ISTQB Foundation Level (CTFL)
Learn how to communicate
We are living in an era of outsourcing. You might be living in one country and might be working for a client who is located at the other end of this world. To make sure that everything is going smoothly you must possess impeccable communication skills. Also, it’s obvious that you need to talk to developers, designers, and various other stakeholders to know more about the software. Communication plays a key part here as well. No matter what, the product is the brainchild of a developer. When you point out issues, ego can rise inside the developer and he might argue with you. To make sure that nothing goes wrong, a tester has to be upfront and must be able to explain the issues well and coordinate the bug fix. You also might need to explain the issues to every stakeholder in a way that they can understand the real issue if the bug surfaces after deployment. The scenario explained above is just one of the instances that you might come across. A software tester has to have good communication skills and must be able to perform and coordinate across teams.
Be an intern and learn
Ok, it’s understandable that you wish to get paid for the work. And you deserve to be paid as well despite being an intern or a permanent employee. But, the prime focus in choosing an internship program should be “learning” rather than the monetary aspect of it. Learning from an actual project is obviously superior to that learning from any other resources. So internship should be considered an investment for your career. Be it paid or unpaid, learn from talented testers and from real-life scenarios. Use Linkedin and other job portals for searching internship programs. Nowadays companies are willing to pay well to grab fresh minds into their team.
Learn about test management
All of us used to work with waterfall project management which has proven to be hefty in all aspects. Owing to the same, the waterfall model is now nearing extinction. At present, cross-collaboration and quality have become common and inevitable from the very beginning of SDLC. Since the market is very competitive in terms of features and quality, SDLC has become very quick and testing needs to keep up with it. For that, exemplary test management needs to be practiced, and testers who are part must be aware of how to manage their tests efficiently
Data Management Skills
Often production data is used in testing to mimic certain scenarios. For instance, you are asked to test payment gateway integration. You need to use customer data which are sensitive in nature. In another scenario, for database-related testing, you might have to use a huge volume of data. So dealing with data is inevitable in testing. So get yourself acquainted with data analysis and management tasks such as organising files, learning about databases, creating data subsets, data masking, automation, maintenance, analytics, business intelligence, etc. you need to learn or should have an idea about data management.
Learn About APIs
APIs are integral communication lines between UI and the database. So, proper APIs need to be created to ensure that smooth communication is happening. Owing to the same, API testing is one of the major and crucial activities in testing. Learning about them will be helpful in testing.
What does a Software Tester Do?
In the whole software development team, software testers are the core part. Software testers ensure quality, reliability, and functionality of software applications. The role after becoming a software tester is to meticulously assess software to identify defects, issues, or inconsistencies, guaranteeing a smooth and error-free user experience. Software testers are professionals responsible for evaluating and validating software applications to ensure they meet quality and performance standards.
Key Skills Required to Become a Software Tester
For an individual to become a software tester there are key skills required. One needs to have a combination of both hard and soft skills. This can be differentiated as hard skills include knowledge of document preparation, database, test preparation, Linux commands, testing procedures, automation tools, and issue tracking. Whereas soft skills for software testers are analytical reasoning, communication, business awareness, and organisation. Becoming a software tester one can be able to create documentation to share feedback with software engineers and programmers, compose defect reports to identify and communicate bugs, apply testing methodologies to follow the best practices and standards, and automate testing processes to save time and improve efficiency
Roles and Responsibilities to Become a Software Tester
Manage testing inventory and troubleshoot testing tools
Execution of manual and automation scripts
Create bug report
Explain the bug to all the stakeholders or one of the stakeholders
Updating of test cases if there is a requirement.
Be a part of the test implementation process
Be a team player.
Knowledge about SOA architecture
Final note
Getting a job in software testing can be a tough task at present. However, if you equip yourself with the necessary skills, there is no way a company can reject your candidature. Go through job portals and get an idea about the demand. Learn skills and then apply. You will get the job Good Luck.