Aspiring a career in Software testing? Here is what you need to know

So what is software testing and why is it so crucial to the IT industry as a whole?

To explain in simple terms, software testing is the process by which the properties of a software program or system is analysed to evaluate whether it meets the benchmark performance requirements. Software testing helps in identifying bugs (errors in a computer program) that need to be eliminated before the final software is ready to launch.

Exploring the current forms of software testing

Broadly there are two types of software testing: manual and automated. Automation software testing is becoming the norm in the industry since it is more accurate and reliable. The most commonly used sub forms of software testing are listed as under:

•          Bench testing:

•          Unit testing:

•          White Box testing

•          Black Box testing

•          Regression testing

•          Functional testing

•          Boundary testing

•          Test driven deployment (TDT)

•          Smoke testing cognitive

•          Load testing

•          Alpha testing

•          Beta testing

Becoming a QA professional: skills to be groomed

The undermentioned skills are essential for a software testing professional to shine in his role. They include both technical as well as interpersonal skills which need to be cultivated simultaneously with QA testing training.

Verbal and Written communication: A QA professional communicates with the developer largely through e-mails and telephonic conversations. Anything from test cases, plans, testing strategies and bug reports need to be communicated on a regular basis by a QA professional. Face-to-face meetings are a rarity given the pace at which tasks need to be completed. Impeccable written and verbal communication skills are hence a must-have for a QA professional.

Technical skills: A good software testing professional must have high-level expertise in using software tools like Loadrunner, QTP, etc. In addition to software testing tools, he or she must also have proficiency in using office tools like MS office, OpenOffice, spreadsheets, etc. for documenting test cases and their progress.

Analytical skills: Analytical skills are what helps a software tester to breakdown the complex software architecture into test cases where testing needs to be done. They enable a software tester to gain an upper hand on the code and how corresponding test cases can be forged to establish benchmark results.

Productivity: Like any other professional of repute, a QA professional is also required to be highly productive in terms of time management and goal attainment. Often, the QA professional will have to run test cases within impossible time frames to launch/deliver the product on time. He/she must also be able to coordinate with developers to remove bugs that are hindering the launch.

Academic background: An aspirant will be expected to hold a recognized quality assurance certification in order to be considered by multinational corporations. There are various QA testing training courses offered by recognized institutes and body of authority across the world. Online QA testing training is also catching up in trend since it provides the comfort of flexibility for working professionals.

Wrapping it up

Software testing is an industry domain where growth is unlimited for the deserving individual. An average day in the life of a QA professional will revolve around understanding business requirement documents, creating and running test cases, reporting bugs and attending review meetings with developers. For someone with the passion to achieve perfection, there could be no better choice of field. Software testing will prove to be exciting as it requires one to try new things using a different set of rules every single time, every single day.

A QA certification will put you on the radar of world-class professionals. However, in addition to academic credentials, one also needs to build interpersonal skills, analytical skills and technical skills to become an impressive profile for leading software corporations. We will find more about how one can advance their expertise as a software tester in the coming articles.