If you are interested in new IT professions for making money, you need to know that QA Engineer is a specialist who participates in software testing at a time when the official version has not yet been published. It depends on its operation how much the application will be convenient to use immediately after it reaches users. This specialist develops and implements technologies that help to avoid malfunctions and bugs so that the software product does not need to be finalized.
Profession Features
Some people think that QA Engineer is the changed name for the software tester profession. Please note that these are 2 different specialties. Testers are hired in order to find malfunctions or vulnerabilities in the program when it is already created. QA Engineer is a member of the original team, which, along with designers, programmers, works on the appearance and functionality of the product. This specialist implements options for testing the system, as well as its individual components, to ensure high quality finished work.
One of the varieties of QA's activity is Quality Control - this focuses on the final quality of the product, as well as each individual element. That is, not QA, but QC Engineer is involved not only in testing products, but also in the process of working with its results. The tasks of such employees include the search for shortcomings, classification, as well as their elimination. These specialists can deal with the correction of software elements either independently or delegate authority to other employees.
A software tester has a narrower range of responsibilities. His tasks include trying to use the program or individual elements after creation to identify errors. The tester writes down and passes any comments and comments to the team, while he does not develop further steps to eliminate bugs.
The difference between the tester and QA Engineer is that the first only determines the presence and type of problems, and the second is to prevent them at the application development stage. After receiving an additional education, the tester can retrain in QA Engineer, however, for this it is necessary to study a lot of additional information. Opening QA Engineer vacancies, companies hope to get a specialist who is not limited to software testing, but is able to improve its development process for other employees and the end user.
Distribution of duties
If you are working on a large project, they rarely hire one QA Engineer. Usually, the functions of this specialty are performed by several people. Depending on their duties, their posts are divided into several types.
Test analyst
Performs at first glance a simple but responsible work on which further testing processes depend. This specialist analyzes the requirements that are based on when evaluating the effectiveness and correction of a product.
Test designer
Performs work that depends on the activities of the previous specialist. Based on the requirements set, this employee creates algorithms, as well as schemes for further testing of products.
Test executor
Performs the main practical task: conducts testing. Noting any errors, he always indicates them and passes them to the developers. The tasks of this specialist include not only an indication of the identified problems, but also a detailed description of them, taking into account the order of their actions when working in the system.
Test manager
Participates in the process of all testing work. Initially, his opinion is taken into account during planning requirements for testing algorithms, then this employee regularly oversees the speed and accuracy of the testing process. The manager’s tasks also include communication with other employees who are involved in the work, including with the organizers of a specific project and the owners of the company.
Kudos to the profession
Some are of the opinion that QA Engineer is not as skilled as a programmer. This opinion is erroneous.
QA Engineer can not only analyze the software already created by the programmer for errors and shortcomings, but also make their own adjustments. The tasks of these specialists include not only knowledge of all the processes carried out by programmers. But also an understanding of the systems approach in development. The level of qualification requirements is not always limited to the standard set, therefore, in some cases, wider knowledge is required than a technical specialist of one profile.
How to become a QA Engineer?
To become a QA Engineer and get a job, you need to learn the main programming languages, as well as understand the design of databases. It is important to get a general idea of the stages of software development, but the main emphasis is on testing.
To master the basic information, you can use foreign literature from open sources. Remembering the professional terminology, many novice specialists start with the use of sites and applications for their own needs, trying to notice all the flaws.
If you want to increase your chances during an interview, as well as to improve your skills, you can take a special course in this specialty.
Some of the qualities and skills inherent in the talented QA Engineer overlap with the following professions:
- Developer Know programming languages, understand well what framework exists in the implementation of various ideas.
- Business analyst. Understand the market, be able to imagine which audience will use the finished product.
- Project manager. To analyze not only individual elements, but also the project as a whole, its profitability, the feasibility of certain functions.
- User. Have extensive experience using similar programs, understand what is important for a person and why software that is similar to the software being developed is usually required.
Career steps
Many people think that QA Engineer is not a serious profession, since universities do not have this direction. In fact, a person with a QA Engineer specialization has a large selection of vacancies, as well as the possibility of promotion through the ranks.
Qualification levels that are indicated in the vacancies:
- Trainee is a novice specialist who does not always meet the qualification requirements.
- Junior QA Engineer is a junior specialist who has been working in the specialty for about six months. Not only experience is important, but also the acquisition of additional skills that can be mastered in the process of conducting various projects. A person who understands the meaning of the words test plan, test step, test design, Definition of Done, and knows the basic principles of working with databases can apply for a Junior QA Engineer vacancy.
- Middle QA - an employee with a good level of knowledge, having experience in active work for more than a year. Such a specialist should be able to work completely independently, as well as conduct consultations for younger employees.
- Senior QA has the highest qualifications. He gets the most difficult tasks. Such a specialist should have a multifaceted education and understand in related fields, to master the maximum number of types of testing.
You can also highlight the specialization of QA Automation Engineer. The tasks of this specialist include the independent development of automatic scripts that carry out most of the testing processes without human intervention. Usually this profession is mastered by programmers, receiving additional education.
If you think that QA Engineer is an easy or low-skilled profession, you need to consider that such an opinion is not true. This specialization is prestigious and requires many months of preparation, analytical mindset, good memory and ability to communicate with people, since QA Engineer interacts with almost the entire team at the stage of developing a new project. To climb the career ladder, you can later retrain to a programmer or business analyst.