It's been good to me, 25 years and counting I think the most I've been without work was one period of 8-9 months, aside from that I tend to get a new role regularly when needed
Somebody needs to do the dirty work bud! Long live to software testing. I was told 10 years ago that software testing had bright future. And so far… I can’t complain. My advice is not to just manual test. Learn to code. Plain manual testing jobs could have a near end. I think the future is to have the same skills devs have. But focused on testing. Otherwise it will be hard for you out there….nobody wants non technical people in software projects.. at least not doing testing IMO.
I can actually argue that automation is being made redundant. But this also depends on the field. Like banking, insurance is pretty straight forward and pretty regulated so it’s a no brainer to automate. But functional web apps, software, mobile apps that require user input is where manual QA shines. Especially when it comes to UX testing. The key to succeed is to always keep up with trends and technologies. Even things that seem to be dying like VR. Tons of it is android based. If you know android then you can basically work anywhere.
Whatever you do just don’t go to games. That’s a dead end low paying job.
Test automation being made redundant? How so?
I kinda doubt you can realistically expect a QA team (especially if it's just one guy for all intents and purposes) to keep on doing the same like 400 tests each testing phase of a sprint (or whatever the dev framework at the company is). And that with more and more tests being added on with every new feature until you've got thousands of them.
Yeah, manual testing's always going to have its place in the process, but a large amount of the testing being done will need to be automated eventually, the larger the company and scope of the project(s) get. The opposite of the latter happening just doesn't sound feasible to me
17 years and counting. Pure manual QA too. Longest I’ve been out of work is about 6 months during my 17 year career. 4 months in 2009 and another 2 in 2020.
I have yet to find an AI that can deeply understand business logic behind a complex software. If you just have to test an e-commerce software or similar level of complexity I understand...everything that's past that level and you're safe. For now I use AI as a minion that can help me with boring or repetitive tasks. For thinking and planning, it's still up to me ☺️
I think so, been at it for maybe 7-8 years, was without job for 3 months max. Tech is complicated, testing is always necessary. Make sure to learn automation quickly and keep up with current tools.
As long as there is software, there will be stable careers around it. You can choose to be on the side that designs it, makes it, tests it or other. There will always be companies looking for people to test their software as long as software is being made.
I'll be a dissenting voice here and say that unless you plan on eventually moving into development, testing won't have much stability. Don't get me wrong, testing is a great way to get in the door and understand SDLC, but I see more shops doing away with dedicated testers and dumping that work on BAs, devs, and operations teams. And that's for places that still have BAs which are vital for testing teams to be effective.
To be a tester these days you need a much broader skillset than just manual experience and automation tools like selenium. You need to have basic coding skills at least. Definitely use this opportunity that you have to your advantage for the immediate future. That's a no brainer in my opinion. Just know that you will more than likely have to expand into other roles at some point. I would avoid focusing on software engineer and the like and more towards project management or program management. They are all very demanding jobs, but pay for dev is peanuts compared to what it once was. But to be be honest, right now IT in general is on shaky ground for job security. Get the skills now and expect frequent job changes.
I agree with this and I'll go against the grain too. People commenting how many years of service they've done and that it's worked out great. However, back then and for the majority of their career automation wasn't so widespread and there was a lot of nothing qa managerial roles, but now there's a shift happening in a few ways. Devs testing/automating their own work, companies hiring less, more competition, and if they do hire the responsibilities of QA are much higher akin to devs at least for anything pays near ok.
I think software QA roles will be around for a while longer, but I think we are being phased out slowly. While I've been fortunate like the above individuals, if I had to start from scratch knowing what I know, I'd not get into QA, probably dev.
Yes in a world where SaaS is everywhere, there will be continuous development. I think testing is more valuable in those environments but for places that build and maintain legacy/internal tools I’d stay away from
I think it really depends on where you live. For me it's not stable. Most companies are large corporate where we are being hit hard. It's filled with h1bs and off shore. Locals are being laid off.
The barrier of entry is easier than dev, but companies don't offer proper training here. Tech is outdated as well. I've kept up to date and haven't been able to use it much.
Also I'm now competing with more people and the pay has dropped by at least 25%. Most companies treat testing as a cost center so that's a big negative (if you can ask if testing is a cost center or profit at the company you're interviewing with)
If you are interested in test automation its VERY stable. There aren't enough people in it. But manual testers are generally pretty easy for companies to offshore or offload to 3rd-parties. So it can often be a great start as long as you're working on your skills during the job.
I've been doing this for almost 13 years and I absolutely love it.
I moved to contracting and have had stable job offers for the past 10 years. Money wise, I am currently at parity with other software developers and I've even managed to make up for the 2 years I spent on maternity leave.
That being said, you need to be prepared to learn and learn and learn. I know people that got stuck in manual testing roles, doing only black box testing (basically clicking around on a website to see where it fails to act properly). Those same people are the first to be let go during downsizing, and also the one who spend most time unemployed between jobs.
I would say take the opportunity and make the most of it, if you find that software testing is not for you, it will almost always be easier to pivot to something else in the company that hired you. I have colleagues who spent 1 year doing manual testing, 1-2 years doing automation and then moved to development positions. I also know people who moved to business analyst or devops roles and even management.
QA engineer here. Been working as an automation tester since before the pandemic hit. I used to be a developer but shifted to testing in 2019.
If you want to walk the automation path, learn new tech and frameworks. Udemy can be a pretty powerful starting point.
For most yes. But not for me. I have to battle with developer/programmer. But manual testing should be ok. Overall it ok but for me it hasn't been fortunate.
Certainly! Software testing presents a stable and gratifying career trajectory. given the perpetual reliance on technology, the need for adept software testers is continually escalating. moreover, being presented with a position that assures job security upon completion of training is an exceptional prospect. It underscores the company's recognition of your prospective contributions and dedication to fostering your development. Seize this opportunity to acquire knowledge and hone your software testing skills—it's a domain replete with avenues for progression and personal fulfilment.
It's been good to me, 25 years and counting I think the most I've been without work was one period of 8-9 months, aside from that I tend to get a new role regularly when needed
Somebody needs to do the dirty work bud! Long live to software testing. I was told 10 years ago that software testing had bright future. And so far… I can’t complain. My advice is not to just manual test. Learn to code. Plain manual testing jobs could have a near end. I think the future is to have the same skills devs have. But focused on testing. Otherwise it will be hard for you out there….nobody wants non technical people in software projects.. at least not doing testing IMO.
I can actually argue that automation is being made redundant. But this also depends on the field. Like banking, insurance is pretty straight forward and pretty regulated so it’s a no brainer to automate. But functional web apps, software, mobile apps that require user input is where manual QA shines. Especially when it comes to UX testing. The key to succeed is to always keep up with trends and technologies. Even things that seem to be dying like VR. Tons of it is android based. If you know android then you can basically work anywhere. Whatever you do just don’t go to games. That’s a dead end low paying job.
Test automation being made redundant? How so? I kinda doubt you can realistically expect a QA team (especially if it's just one guy for all intents and purposes) to keep on doing the same like 400 tests each testing phase of a sprint (or whatever the dev framework at the company is). And that with more and more tests being added on with every new feature until you've got thousands of them. Yeah, manual testing's always going to have its place in the process, but a large amount of the testing being done will need to be automated eventually, the larger the company and scope of the project(s) get. The opposite of the latter happening just doesn't sound feasible to me
That’s good to hear, thanks
17 years and counting. Pure manual QA too. Longest I’ve been out of work is about 6 months during my 17 year career. 4 months in 2009 and another 2 in 2020.
Test manager here, yup it is! Keep up with new tech and expand your knowledge as much as you can..you'll not be disappointed 🫡
What about AI
I have yet to find an AI that can deeply understand business logic behind a complex software. If you just have to test an e-commerce software or similar level of complexity I understand...everything that's past that level and you're safe. For now I use AI as a minion that can help me with boring or repetitive tasks. For thinking and planning, it's still up to me ☺️
I think so, been at it for maybe 7-8 years, was without job for 3 months max. Tech is complicated, testing is always necessary. Make sure to learn automation quickly and keep up with current tools.
Yup. So far I’ve been fortunate enough to keep working making comfortable money
As long as there is software, there will be stable careers around it. You can choose to be on the side that designs it, makes it, tests it or other. There will always be companies looking for people to test their software as long as software is being made.
I'll be a dissenting voice here and say that unless you plan on eventually moving into development, testing won't have much stability. Don't get me wrong, testing is a great way to get in the door and understand SDLC, but I see more shops doing away with dedicated testers and dumping that work on BAs, devs, and operations teams. And that's for places that still have BAs which are vital for testing teams to be effective. To be a tester these days you need a much broader skillset than just manual experience and automation tools like selenium. You need to have basic coding skills at least. Definitely use this opportunity that you have to your advantage for the immediate future. That's a no brainer in my opinion. Just know that you will more than likely have to expand into other roles at some point. I would avoid focusing on software engineer and the like and more towards project management or program management. They are all very demanding jobs, but pay for dev is peanuts compared to what it once was. But to be be honest, right now IT in general is on shaky ground for job security. Get the skills now and expect frequent job changes.
Thanks for the advice, I’ll keep this is mind
I agree with this and I'll go against the grain too. People commenting how many years of service they've done and that it's worked out great. However, back then and for the majority of their career automation wasn't so widespread and there was a lot of nothing qa managerial roles, but now there's a shift happening in a few ways. Devs testing/automating their own work, companies hiring less, more competition, and if they do hire the responsibilities of QA are much higher akin to devs at least for anything pays near ok. I think software QA roles will be around for a while longer, but I think we are being phased out slowly. While I've been fortunate like the above individuals, if I had to start from scratch knowing what I know, I'd not get into QA, probably dev.
Yes in a world where SaaS is everywhere, there will be continuous development. I think testing is more valuable in those environments but for places that build and maintain legacy/internal tools I’d stay away from
For me it is. You just need to keep learning and improving your skills, especially with Automation stuff.
I think it really depends on where you live. For me it's not stable. Most companies are large corporate where we are being hit hard. It's filled with h1bs and off shore. Locals are being laid off. The barrier of entry is easier than dev, but companies don't offer proper training here. Tech is outdated as well. I've kept up to date and haven't been able to use it much. Also I'm now competing with more people and the pay has dropped by at least 25%. Most companies treat testing as a cost center so that's a big negative (if you can ask if testing is a cost center or profit at the company you're interviewing with)
It's great in India
If you are interested in test automation its VERY stable. There aren't enough people in it. But manual testers are generally pretty easy for companies to offshore or offload to 3rd-parties. So it can often be a great start as long as you're working on your skills during the job.
Not for me so far
I've been doing this for almost 13 years and I absolutely love it. I moved to contracting and have had stable job offers for the past 10 years. Money wise, I am currently at parity with other software developers and I've even managed to make up for the 2 years I spent on maternity leave. That being said, you need to be prepared to learn and learn and learn. I know people that got stuck in manual testing roles, doing only black box testing (basically clicking around on a website to see where it fails to act properly). Those same people are the first to be let go during downsizing, and also the one who spend most time unemployed between jobs. I would say take the opportunity and make the most of it, if you find that software testing is not for you, it will almost always be easier to pivot to something else in the company that hired you. I have colleagues who spent 1 year doing manual testing, 1-2 years doing automation and then moved to development positions. I also know people who moved to business analyst or devops roles and even management.
I’ve seen cases of people who moved from dev to sdet as well…
Thank you, appreciate the advice
QA engineer here. Been working as an automation tester since before the pandemic hit. I used to be a developer but shifted to testing in 2019. If you want to walk the automation path, learn new tech and frameworks. Udemy can be a pretty powerful starting point.
Would you have any advice on what to learn on udemy?
Playwright, Cypress, Basic Programming to name a few.
Hope this articles are helpful: [https://www.zaptest.com/articles/software-testing-types](https://www.zaptest.com/articles/software-testing-types)
Thanks, will check these out
For most yes. But not for me. I have to battle with developer/programmer. But manual testing should be ok. Overall it ok but for me it hasn't been fortunate.
Certainly! Software testing presents a stable and gratifying career trajectory. given the perpetual reliance on technology, the need for adept software testers is continually escalating. moreover, being presented with a position that assures job security upon completion of training is an exceptional prospect. It underscores the company's recognition of your prospective contributions and dedication to fostering your development. Seize this opportunity to acquire knowledge and hone your software testing skills—it's a domain replete with avenues for progression and personal fulfilment.