Quality Assurance | Software Testing | Career Change

This will be a quick article, explaining why you should just apply for your first job (or apprentice) with minimal expertise in the field. This is regarding the manual role, of course.

Barriers to entry are rather low

What skills do QAs really need?

• First of all, logical thinking. Being an adult you probably developed this skill so far, awesome. This is also something you might have a hard time learning anyway. If you got it, you got it.
• Attention to detail — this one is incredibly important, so many bugs are just hidden or overlooked by others, this is where you can shine, and you will if you stay focused and your brain is sharp.
• Computer literacy — I'm sure you've already got it because it's rather rare for young people nowadays not to use computers (I'm not talking about coding skills)
• Communication skills — are you a communicative person? great, you'll spend a lot of time talking to people from various teams (technical and non-technical). QA also need to report bugs in a neutral manner, so it's worth working on those skills.
• Natural curiosity — yes, you have to understand the product you're working on. Your brain needs to suggest questions to ask other team members and create scenarios on where things could potentially go wrong.

See where I am going with this one? Most of the skills are already in you. Great

Useful technical skills:

• SQL — a very common requirement, it's definitely worth knowing at least basic functionalities, as you're not applying for a database developer role. Simple queries shall do. QAs very often verify whether a record has been created or deleted properly. It's good to be aware of additional functionalities (such as joints, for the future). I've learned it for free! Here. It took me a few days to go through it.
• API — Application programming interface. If it's your first job you'll probably be trained on it anyway, but API testing is an inseparable part of QA's day-to-day workflow. The most popular tool nowadays is postman, with loads of free courses about it on youtube.
• ISTQB — now this is discussible, some companies require it, some see it as a "nice to have". Definitely worth seeing into the syllabus content. A lot of people argue if ISTQB makes you a better taster. Surely understanding the internal glossary will make you all speak the same language which is a big plus. Again, free, here
• Application Lifecycle Management — ALMs. This is where we keep our theoretical parts (test cases, test scenarios, technical documentation, tickets and where we usually report bugs). Don't worry about this part too much, just understand how it works, you will get trained on it anyway. The popular ones are Jira, HP ALM and Microsoft Azure DevOps Server.

Just look up the one that is being listed the most frequently when you apply.

• Waterfall and agile development — there are tons of articles about it, and you're in for a treat reading about how it all changed (assuming you're frankly interested in software development)

Learning those technical skills shouldn't take longer than a few weeks for a dedicated learner committing 6–8 hours a day, but obviously, go at your own pace 😃

Hire for attitude, train for skill

"we'll train you on whatever it is you have to do; but the one thing Southwest cannot change in people is inherent attitudes."

— Herb Kelleher, CEO, Southwest Airlines

QA works with people, with lots of various people. Hiring managers will definitely look at you from this perspective, if they don't think you're a proper cultural fit, you may not get this role. Instead, they might select another candidate with better "soft skills". For your first job, if you tick the company boxes, you can quickly be onboarded and trained properly within your first weeks.

But, but... I am not ready yet...

If you truly believe so, you're probably right, but the question is

When will you be actually ready? Never, that's why you just need to put your foot in the door and gain this hands-on experience as soon as possible.

Don't forget about the existence of Imposter Syndrome, and don't let it direct you. We all started one day, and it's been a similar journey for the majority of us.

Interviewing takes time

Precious time you can use for learning more, usually, before companies get back to you a good 2–3 weeks will pass, meanwhile you can practice your skills (on websites like uTest), or going through great udemy courses.

An interview is also something you should practice

It's almost like going on a date, you get better with them with time. And similarly, you don't want to end up with someone you don't enjoy spending time with. Choose your company wisely, and trust your gut when it comes to where you'll feel comfortable and have growth perspectives, otherwise, you may have a false sense of not enjoying being a tester.

DYOR, and do it inside out

One of my favourite abbreviations from crypto Twitter. 😃

Do Your Own Research regarding the company you will be working for. Find out what they do, what the potential problems their software might have, or if their product is completed, make sure to test it yourself. Imagine the position you place yourself in, once you can report that you've already found something in their software.

Never underestimate communities

And testing one is one of the best I know. For real, set up your LinkedIn and follow a few people. You can add me if you don't know other QAs, always happy to advise. 😄R eddit also has great people with incredible expertise, there are at least two subreddits about software testing, and it's worth exploring both.

What's your story? How did you get your testing job? Let me know in the comments! and never stop applying, it's totally feasible, and you WILL land your job in IT.

Don't forget to subscribe for more, soon I'll publish more articles, including how to prepare your testing portfolio!