Why I Chose a Career in Software Quality Assurance and Why You Should Too
September 22nd, 2016: Yahoo Confirms Massive Data Breach
May 20th, 2015: Airbus A400M Crash
The Guardian reported a crash of Airbus’ A400M military aircraft due to a software bug. This crash claimed the lives of four Spanish crew members onboard and left two other crew members severely injured.
These tragic events highlight the consequences of de-emphasizing software quality assurance practices.
I shared these incidents, not to scare you, but to show how important software testing can be! Software testing and quality assurance is the process of verifying and evaluating that a software product or application matches the expected requirements, also ensuring the software does what it is intended to do effectively.
The Importance of Software Quality Assurance
Software testing and quality assurance ensure that a software product meets expected requirements and functions effectively. Without these practices, there is a risk of monetary loss or, in extreme cases, loss of life.
So, what is it about this software quality assurance and testing that has not only caught my interest but also has me recommending it to others as a career choice? Creativity, versatility, and builds confidence in software products.
Creativity in Quality Assurance
“Creativity is more than just being different. Anybody can plan weird; that’s easy. What’s hard is to be as simple as Bach. Making the simple, awesomely simple, that’s creativity” – Charles Mingus
One significant skill set required to be a good QA aside from an ‘outside-the-box’ mentality is creativity. Software quality assurance is a time-consuming activity that involves dedication, discipline, and comprehensive knowledge of the project\product accompanied by a deep understanding of user or customer experience. This is where creativity comes in. Choosing a career in software testing and QA tests your creative and imaginative abilities.
Now and then as a QA analyst, you are required to evaluate the customer experience as thoroughly as possible. This will require the QA analyst to imagine himself\herself as a user, with a proper understanding of the app or software, and creatively ‘break’ the object under test to find defects/bugs that can mar quality user experience.
However, the flip side is that you will be held accountable for failures and errors, but this should not be a problem if you keep creating new processes or methods to solve those errors.
Versatility in Quality Assurance
“The great source of pleasure is variety”– Samuel Johnson
For people who exhibit versatility in the workspace, QA can be the right career choice for them. One major standard in quality assurance that drew my attention is the diversity in the profession. As a QA analyst develops, there are a variety of paths they can take to specialize in, some of which include automation testing, manual testing, performance testing, or a combination of all three. Quality assurance does not only guarantee just a single career path to follow but it also creates more opportunities in diverse fields. This implies that you can choose to be a specialist or a jack of all trades, work full time or contract, either as a project lead or a team lead. This one reason creates multiple varieties of roles and careers in testing and quality assurance.
Building Confidence in Software Products
“A market is never saturated with a good product, but it is very quickly saturated with a bad one”– Henry Ford
Building confidence in a software product should not be taken for granted during development. Oftentimes, software developers tend to miss out on bugs that can cause harm to a product when it is finally deployed or released. Sometimes these bugs cause serious damage to either the reputation of the organization, a particular individual’s reputation and even in the worst-case scenario involving loss of life.
Testers have a priority to deliver products that will meet the standard requirements of the organization and enhance user experience. As a tester, you work hand in hand with developers to deliver the best product by analyzing and helping the developer find bugs, document them, and render solutions to improve the quality and the performance thereby building confidence in the application.
Releasing products that have gone through proper testing procedures and quality assurance increases the reputation of not just the organization but also you as a tester.
Industry Insights and Innovations
A report by “Global Industry Insights” reveals that the software market was larger than USD 40 billion in 2020 and is projected to have increased by over 7% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) from 2021 to 2027.
Software quality assurance has been credited for helping big businesses like Facebook and Google expand, build their reputations, and increase their revenue. Without strict quality assurance standards requirements, Google would not be as big as it is today.
Marko Ivanković, a senior software engineer at Google, shared in an article how Google implemented ‘measured code coverage,’ a type of automated software testing metric that assesses the number of lines of code successfully validated under test. The implementation involved two coverage types: Daily coverage, testing the work-in-progress of the day to identify and address errors early in the project, and Per-commit coverage, focusing on tests necessary for a smooth commit process. This strategic approach has effectively prevented excess user issues.
Facebook, on the other hand, also implemented measured code coverage for their codes and this has helped engineers at the organization to quickly get out new features and make iterations also issues are fixed before 99.9999% of the users notice.
Rewards and Challenges in Software Quality Assurance
Software quality assurance includes advantages and disadvantages, just like every other job route. Software quality assurance requires a lot of hard work that can occasionally be monotonous, it requires full interest and passion otherwise it can be difficult and tiring if one is not passionate about growth in this field, and the competition in the industry is growing rapidly so it can be challenging. Nevertheless, it is highly rewarding as you advance to higher positions, does not require background knowledge of coding at the entry level, and many IT companies have various vacancies in this field. Speaking about the pay: According to “Glassdoor,” QA analysts in the USA make $90,412 a year with 0-1 year of experience while an experienced tester with 15+ years earns up to $109,600 annually.
Advocating for Quality Assurance Careers
In conclusion, it is no surprise that I have chosen this technology career path and recommend it to others. Quality assurance is a crucial practice that enables the IT industry to deliver high-quality products and services, mitigating errors and faults that could be detrimental to both the company and users at large.
Ready to elevate your career in Software Quality Assurance? Explore exciting opportunities and stay ahead in the dynamic tech industry with Tezza. Join us in shaping the future of software testing. Check Tezza Academy to take the next step in your QA journey with Tezza Business Solutions today!
Written by Okoh Anthony Chibueze, Test Manager
Edited by Tomi Etta, Communications and Marketing Analyst