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Quality Assurance as a Career


I decided to take a somewhat different tack for this week’s post for software quality assurance and testing. Instead of focusing on testing itself, and all there is to it, I found a video from a tester in the field, Alan Richardson, on his advice for someone who is interested in getting into the field.

He strongly urged someone getting started not to think of a position in quality assurance as a “stepping stone” to being a software developer. If you do, you will inevitably find yourself in a dead end because you really aren’t interested in the field. “If you want to be a software developer, start as a software developer.” 

He encourages the viewer to read everything they can on the subject. A lot of it is free, so there is no reason to necessarily buy anything. However, he gives some book recommendations. He gives a good insight why books can be so valuable to learning. “An expert in the field took a year to concentrate everything they know into those pages,” (paraphrased).

He doesn’t value certification, but he realizes that many companies do. I didn’t realize there was certification. Even if I don’t end up getting it, it’s useful to know that it exists. He also said that it is easier to go into testing from designing software. 

He also urged testers to find companies that valued the work they did and that provide opportunities for them. He said that oftentimes testers are paid quite a bit less than they’re worth compared to software designers. Not only is picking the right company important, but you should advocate for yourself because the work you do is important.

I thought that he offered some sound advice. I haven’t seen that much other software quality assurance career advice, but this all seems to fit what I’ve heard over the years for computer science or general career advice. I am excited to start working for a company, perhaps one day as a tester.

Strangely, I don’t often think about all the different positions within the computer science field. I tend to lump everyone as a “software developer,” even if I know there’s a lot more to it than that. I am starting to rethink that and consider going to quality assurance. It is something I enjoy, and it is something I can see myself doing.

YouTube Channel: EvilTester - Software Testing
https://youtu.be/iOA3lxZyFwA

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