Working as a software tester can offer interactive opportunities to develop quality assurance and communication skills. Software testers aid companies in developing software that can assist thousands of people. While employed as a software tester, it can be helpful to outline your career goals to ensure you are performing at your highest level. In this article, we discuss what software testers do and where they work, as well as 8 career goals software testers might consider.
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What does a software tester do?
Software testers are quality assurance professionals who work on finding bugs, glitches and other technical issues in software. Software testers may run a variety of manual and automatic tests on software to find areas for improvement, such as circumstances in which the software crashes or aspects of the software that load slowly. Once software testers have found an issue in the software, they repeat their tests to ensure they isolate what is causing the issue in the software. After determining the cause of the issue, software testers communicate their findings to the development team.
Where do software testers work?
Software testers may work in a variety of industries, although they are primarily employed in the technology sector. Any company that produces software, however, often employs a team of software testers as part of their quality control department. Many companies have mobile applications that require testing before they release, so software testers also often spend a significant amount of time working with mobile apps.
One of the most visible roles for software testers is testing video game features during their development. They interact with areas and test menu interfaces to ensure that the game provides a satisfactory experience. Software testers often may play through individual portions of a game many times to check that all sequences of events run smoothly and don’t encounter technical obstacles.
8 career goals for software testers
Setting career goals can be a helpful exercise for professionals working in any industry, and software testers are no exception. Understanding how you want to develop and grow during the course of your employment can help you visualize what success looks like for you and work toward it. Here are eight examples of what some career goals for software testers might look like:
1. Work for a company that recognizes your skills as a software tester
One of the most important goals in any profession is to find a company that values your skills. Working for a company that understands the rigors of high-quality testing is more likely to value your skills and can lead to more lucrative opportunities. If you feel that your company appreciates your hard work, it can also be easier to work toward your other goals.
2. Learn how to improve efficiency using high-level quality assurance techniques
Learning the proper techniques for providing an in-depth quality assurance report can be one of the most important professional skills to gain when working in a software testing career. Different software may require different techniques to unearth bugs, so developing a wide range of quality assurance methods can be helpful for software testers. Once you can use many different software testing techniques, you may find that you become more efficient and thorough in your duties.
3. Obtain a software testing position that challenges you
Software testing requires repeating simple tasks multiple times to find potential bugs that may occur in the process. This can mean that many testers spend much of the working day on the same area of the software, examining interfaces and code. While this work can be rewarding, you may decide you want to reach a level in your career trajectory in which you encounter higher-level challenges more frequently. Overcoming challenges can be rewarding and stimulating, so working through high-level situations requiring critical thinking may provide a more satisfactory experience.
4. Gain a high-level understanding of test management tools
Most software testers use test management tools to perform their everyday job functions. These tools can come in a variety of formats, so mastering the best tool for your job can make you more efficient and effective. Because there are so many tools available to test software, developing a familiarity with multiple tools can be helpful when working for a company that requires the use of more than one.
5. Grow confident in your time management abilities
Software testers often work with strict deadlines, so learning to be comfortable working with a full schedule can be a helpful career goal to work toward. Software testers often work on multiple projects at once, each one with a different deadline and update frequency. Being able to handle multiple assignments while communicating your feedback clearly to the development team can make you a more effective software tester. Adapting to fast-paced work environments is a skill that can take time to develop, but may serve you well in this career path.
6. Develop strong communication skills
An important part of testing software is being able to provide clear and constructive feedback to the teams that are developing the applications. Having a strong set of communication skills is an asset when working in this career, as it allows you to effectively convey your findings. Developing the ability to concisely articulate the issues you found in the software helps your fellow team members as well as yourself, and they are likely to appreciate the clarity of your notes and feedback.
7. Learn how to find bugs efficiently
Software testers spend most of their time finding bugs in software. Understanding what causes bugs in software may allow you to identify them more quickly in the programs that you test. Being able to perform this task effectively and efficiently may enable you to finish your work faster. It may also give you more time to work with the development team on how to fix them and prevent them in the future.
8. Remain passionate about your career
Many software testers choose this profession because they are passionate about developing games or creating code. After working for a few years, it’s not uncommon to sometimes feel less enthusiastic about your day-to-day work. Find different way to stay passionate about your work can be one of the best ways to remain motivated and continue performing at a high level. If you feel like you need a change of environment, switching the type of software you’re testing or the code you’re working with can be beneficial. This can also present a good opportunity to explore different aspects of software testing or software development.
