Roadmap to Becoming a QA Engineer

QA Engineers are those who handle bugs and glitches that we face while using any application or website. The Job of a QA engineer is to handle bugs in any application or website. QA engineers make sure that the software that reaches the people is error-free and bug-free. They make sure that users have a smooth experience with applications. In this article, we are going to discuss the roadmap to becoming a QA engineer. 

What is Quality Assurance?

Quality assurance is the method of making sure that products, especially software, work for which they are manufactured. QA engineers test software to find bugs and glitches make sure that features work properly, and verify that everything meets the required standards. It is similar being the last stage of testing before the product is launched into the market.

Who Can Learn Quality Assurance?

Any person with a curiosity for how things work and an eye for detail can learn quality assurance. We don't need a degree in computer science to get started, although having a technical background can help a lot to get this job role, but skills matter a lot. If you enjoy problem-solving, have patience, and are willing to learn, then go for the position of QA Engineer.

Skills Required to Become a Quality Assurance Engineer

There are a few major skills required to become a QA engineer. Some of them are mentioned below:

Strong analytical skills: Strong analytical abilities are essential to the QA engineer's position. They must be able to analyze every part of a product and system in order to discover any potential flaws that may have an impact on overall quality and user response.

Attention to Detail: We must notice even the smallest issues that others might miss.
Critical Thinking: We will need to think of different ways the software might be used or misused.

Programming Knowledge: We should be aware of basic programming knowledge of how to write and understand code because it helps in writing automated tests.

Communication Skills: We need to clearly explain our problem to other developers and ask them for review. 

Patience: We must have patience because testing requires a lot of time. There are different test cases for which we have to check that the application is working fine and smoothly.

How to Become a Certified QA Engineer?

It is very important to obtain a certification as this will increase our chances that we will get hired. There are different certifications that are required to become a QA engineer, the main one is the International Software Testing Qualifications Board (ISTQB) certification which is one of the well-known certifications. To obtain these certifications we have to pass tests which will cover a wide range of questions based on these. 

Some Quality Management Courses 

If we want to improve our skills or learn from scratch, there are different courses which we can learn:

ISTQB Foundation Level: This certification is a great starting point for beginners.

Certified Software Tester (CSTE): This certification mainly focuses on principles of testing.

Certified ScrumMaster (CSM): It is useful if we are planning to work in agile environments.

Online Courses: There are different websites such as Coursera, Udemy, or LinkedIn that offer different courses in QA and testing.

Why Should You Consider Becoming a QA Engineer?

There are several reasons to follow QA engineer as a career option. Some of them are mentioned below 

Demand: The demand for software engineers has been increasing at exponential rate as the number of applications increase in the market. 

Problem-Solving: The ability to solve problems and different puzzles can increase our thinking ability. We require complex thinking skills to become a QA engineer. 

Exponential Career Growth: The career opportunities in this field are vast. One can become QA - >QA Lead, Automation Engineer -> and even Product Manager.

How to Gain Experience as a QA Engineer?

Apply for Internship: We can apply for internships at different positions after learning a few important skills required for QA engineers. 

Contribute to Open Source: We should start contributing to open source after learning some skills and also contribute to small startups. One will get noticed by company HR or managers if they start making significant contributions. 

Start Freelancing: We should start freelancing to make some income. There are different platforms for freelancing which one should try and enhance their skills. 

Some of the Job Roles that one can apply after learning the required skills for QA engineer: 

QA Lead
Test Engineer
Software Tester
QA Manager

QA Analyst
QA Tester
Automation Tester

Conclusion

The QA engineer is a great job for those who are detail-oriented, and analytical, have basic programming knowledge, and are passionate about delivering high-quality software. In this article, we presented a broad roadmap on how one can become a QA engineer.