In this guide, we will:
Software testing consists of a wide range of activities that aim to check whether the actual results of a software system match the expected ones. The other goal of software testing is ensuring that the solution is free of any bugs or defects. Software testing is essential for identifying errors, missing requirements, or requirement gaps. It can be either carried out manually or with the help of automated tools.
Software testers play an essential role during application development. They are the Quality Assurance experts who test new digital products thoroughly to ensure they have no bugs, eliminate poor performance, and get rid of interface issues. To do this, testers perform various tests at different stages of the software lifecycle. Some examples of such tests are stress, performance, functional, scalability, or user acceptance. Since software testing is so critical to the quality and usability of the final product, testers are usually brought in at the early stages, such as planning and design. They remain involved throughout the process and later during support as well. Most testers work in development teams. Today, many software products are created following the DevOps methodology, which combines development and operations. In this methodology, development, testing, and delivery work in a continuous loop with the help of agile, lean, or Scrum frameworks and approaches. All in all, software testers make sure that the software looks good in the eyes of customers and works just as advertised.
Here are the most important technical skills and hands-on experience you need to become a software tester.
These skills and capabilities are just as important as technical knowledge. They indicate whether you have the potential of becoming a good software tester or not.
It all comes down to getting the right education and training. Employers looking for software testers don’t necessarily search for candidates with a bachelor’s degree in computer science or information technology. In fact, hands-on experience, technical skills, and certifications (for example, ones issued by the International Software Testing Qualifications Board) are far more important. Knowledge of scripting or coding isn’t necessary, but it will always be a great bonus for employers – and it might widen your job opportunities a lot. Let’s dive into the details now.
1. Learn how to code – programming is often the first step to becoming a software tester. After all, since you will be performing tests on software, you’d be far more effective if you could tell what the code means. You don’t need to have any programming experience at a commercial company to become a software tester. But it’s good to know a few things about programming. For example, software testers should know some programming concepts and fundamentals like the basics of architecture, algorithms, object-oriented programming, etc. You should also know how to read code in various languages and have a high-level understanding of several. Since programming languages rise and fall, knowing the fundamentals is essential – they work across different languages.
2. Learn the particulars of software testing – the next step is learning what software testing is all about. You need to know everything about all the different types of testing, what testers use them for, how to run tests and determine the result, and how to create test reports. If you’re a software developer, you probably learned about this at a high level. As a software tester, you need to have more in-depth knowledge. Most of the time, this is the gist of an online course about software testing from an experienced and qualified provider.
3. Learn performance testing – performance testing is a key area where you need to learn not only the concepts but also the tools. When learning to become a software tester, you can enhance the experience with performance testing tools. If you don’t have access to them, you can always get trials and then train using them to get the hang of performance testing.
4. Learn automated testing – your next step is learning more about the concepts of automated testing. Automated testing is based on manual tests that have been running originally and putting them into a tool that runs them automatically. This is a very effective approach if you need to run a lot of similar tests. If you don’t have access to automation tools, it’s something you will learn on the job or during your online course.
According to the data published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the demand for computer systems analysts (including software testers) is rising by 9%, much above average. Software testing has a bright future in front of it as an increasing number of companies are investing in the development of digital products. All of these products will have to be thoroughly tested before they’re released on the market. If you’d like to learn more about software testing, check out our online courses. They explore the ins and outs of software testing practices and tools used by companies today.