Software Tester

Steamer · 14-07-2010 12:05pm #1

Dunno if this is the right place to post it but I'm sure the mods will move it to the right place.

Bascially I want to ask you how you become a software tester? I think that I would be quite good in this role but I don't have any experience. I have an IT degree and have been working in a job for the past 4 years where I have done specialised work and therefore cannot really use it for other jobs. Every tester role seems to require experience in certain areas etc but I can't get experience until I get a job in that area.

Do you get any training when you become a tester or is it assumed that you would just be able to start asap?

I hope someone can shed any light in this. I just want to move my career on in an area that I think I could excel in.

Thanks

run_Forrest_run · 14-07-2010 12:46pm

to become a software tester you just need to fail at programming:D

Nah, seriously, a lot of software testing can be learned along the way but a good tester will have a natural way of looking at things, a way that doesn't come easily for the normal software user. I know some testers and they have a great knack at viewing alternative flows in software and hence, find bugs..of course I know other testers and they are useless...like in every other discipline.

I work in software development and yes, testers on a project are trained up on the testing methodology used for their specific project. A lot of this will depend on the nature of the product being developed.
If a company does not train you up as a tester then you'd want to seriously consider looking elsewhere.

If however you would like to brush up on your skills and knowledge base you could read up on stuff like Automated Testing, this is an area that is always of interest to test and QA managers.

wobbles-grogan · 14-07-2010 3:49pm

I think your IT degree would be good enough to get you a testing role in most companies. Most managers realise that testing can be learned as you go along.

Best thing you can do is read up on stuff about testing on the web or a book maybe. As the above poster said, test automation is something a lot of companies are looking at these days.

Basically, a tester has to find out if the given product is fit for its purpose, if it does exactly as its meant to do and if it does it well. By "well" i mean, it wont crash out if the user does something unexpected etc etc and then report back exactly the problem to the developer(this is where most testers fail) A lot of being a software tester is just common sense to be honest.

Though, some people have more common sense in this area than others.

Anyway, to answer your question, i dont know of any courses that specifically train you to be a software tester. Your IT degree is enough for most places!!

Zulu · 14-07-2010 3:58pm

ISEB foundation cert is a great start - it covers the basics and is pretty much an industry standard.

To become a good tester is different. I've a terrible habit of dismantling everything that I get hold of to "see how it works". I think this helps a lot! Starting out you won't need that much experience, as your test lead will help you write the test cases, but what you need to consider is "what happens when I do this!?!"

(I've 10 years testing experience, so feel free to ask me any questions.)

edit: great point above. A good tester knows how to replicate the problem & provide the developer with as much detail as possible. Communication is a must. And a thick skin. Some developers have fragile egos & view a bug as a personal attack

Steamer · 14-07-2010 4:09pm

Thanks for all your replies. I suppose I will just start to apply for jobs and fingers crossed get something. I just get put off applying when I see specific requirements.

I will look into that ISEB Cert too, no harm.

I just regret taking the choice I did as it really is of no help to me in any other IT discipline. I thought it was a good choice and I would learn from it but I bascially learned skills I cannot use. Ah well, you live and learn.

Evil Phil · 14-07-2010 4:23pm

Steamer wrote: »

I just regret taking the choice I did as it really is of no help to me in any other IT discipline. I thought it was a good choice and I would learn from it but I bascially learned skills I cannot use. Ah well, you live and learn.

What did you do? While the skills you learned for that particular job may not transfer across there's lots of other things that do. Like the ability to work with information technology and being able to hold down a steady job for a number of years. Can you demonstrate career progression in that role? That's a good thing in a candidate.

The British Computer Society have a software testing syllabus (I think its is ISEB one) with full details on their site: http://www.bcs.org/server.php?show=nav.10920 - I'm a member of the BCS and cannot fault them. The society has changed a lot in the last few years and changed for the better imho!

<edit>
Actually reading the foundation syllabus it seems very comprehensive.
</edit>

Steamer · 14-07-2010 4:37pm

I am working for a semi state body and have become a flight planner which is IT related in a way but not exactly technical. I have progressed in the job and would consider myself an expert in my area and with all the software related to it so I cannot move on any furture in it.

Evil Phil · 14-07-2010 5:14pm

Sounds like you have a good c.v. to me.

Zulu · 14-07-2010 7:57pm

Steamer wrote: »

I am working for a semi state body and have become a flight planner which is IT related in a way but not exactly technical.

You don't need to be technical (although it certainly helps). You can work as a UAT (User Acceptance Test) Tester, which, although not (IMO) the most interesting, requires no technical skills - you just need to represent the end user. Granted, can be more difficult to work your way back the lifecycle (from UAT to System test) but you be gaining valuable experience.
And, once you're testing, you can just push into earlier stages by writing bloody good tests & executing them. Any manager worth there salt will recognise if you're doing this.

One thing to remember before embarking on a test career - it can be boring, tedious & very pressured. While development overrun their time frames (nearly always happens) you'll be preparing testcases. Which isn't the fun part. Then your test time will be squeezed, and you'll be expected to preform within very tight deadlines. It'll be your progress thats monitored closely by senior managment, eager to get the project completed :eek:
Don't worry though, this cuts both ways - if you're doing a good job, you'll get exposure.

jojobeans · 04-11-2012 10:38am

I was on the fast track to i.t website and in their course listings I seen a course for software quality assurance tester and I was wondering has anybody done the course and where it runs from. Any advice is appreciated.
,

Zulu · 04-11-2012 10:44am

If you're looking to do a software test course, the ISEB courses are the ones that the industry look for, so they're the only ones I'd recommend you take

jojobeans · 04-11-2012 10:57am

Zulu wrote: »

If you're looking to do a software test course, the ISEB courses are the ones that the industry look for, so they're the only ones I'd recommend you take

Thanks zulu, I just wanted to see did anybody reccomend them. I will have a look on google now for ISEB courses.('',)

Zulu · 04-11-2012 11:55am

jojobeans wrote: »

Thanks zulu, I just wanted to see did anybody reccomend them. I will have a look on google now for ISEB courses.('',)

Yeah no worries. I couldn't tell you anything about them - sorry. I'm interested to hear anyone elses experience. (It'll be telling if you get no feedback, but maybe create a new thread for it - you might catch more posters?)

I know it's not quite what you asked, but I did the ISEB myself, and I push my staff to do the ISEB. ISEB is what I'd look for on CV's. Here's a link with more info. They're expensive if you can't get a company to pay for you.

Best of luck with whatever you go for. If you ever have any questions on testing, feel free to PM me/ask in this thread & I'll be happy to answer.

BrokenArrows · 04-11-2012 3:47pm

Steamer wrote: »

Dunno if this is the right place to post it but I'm sure the mods will move it to the right place.

Bascially I want to ask you how you become a software tester? I think that I would be quite good in this role but I don't have any experience. I have an IT degree and have been working in a job for the past 4 years where I have done specialised work and therefore cannot really use it for other jobs. Every tester role seems to require experience in certain areas etc but I can't get experience until I get a job in that area.

Do you get any training when you become a tester or is it assumed that you would just be able to start asap?

I hope someone can shed any light in this. I just want to move my career on in an area that I think I could excel in.

Thanks

I was in a similar situation where the it role i was in was very specalised so useless outside of that company. So i got a testing role within the same company and then moved onto development.

Does your company have a dev/testing dept.

jester77 · 06-11-2012 11:17am

Look into getting ISTQB certified, it's pretty much the standard where I work and what someone requires when applying for a QA position. Once you have the foundation level then you can focus more on the area that interests you for the advanced level.

Zulu · 06-11-2012 11:39am

FYI ISEB & ISTQB are pretty much the same thing (aren't they, jester77?).

jester77 · 06-11-2012 12:23pm

Zulu wrote: »

FYI ISEB & ISTQB are pretty much the same thing (aren't they, jester77?).

I'm not that up to date on the differences, the ISTQB was previously more internationally recognised but the 2 boards now work together and some of the exams are considered equal but the BCS are phasing out ISEB in favour of ISTQB.

Just looked into this a bit more. The ISEB is now the BCS Professional Certification and it looks like they use the ISTQB exams for certification at the foundation level and at the Advanced Levels.

The old ISEB intermediate exam falls between the foundation and advanced levels and I don't see any reference to the ISTQB expert levels.

Fizman · 12-11-2012 12:44pm

I'm in a very similar position to the OP, in that I'm 6 years in a specialised position in a small Irish software company. If I were to lose my job tomorrow, I reckon I'd find it quite hard to pick up something soon.

I am looking into the ISTQB. What kind of salaries are generally tied in with testing roles? I know this can vary depending on organisations etc, but I just want to get a ball park idea from user testing, to system level testing.

Zulu · 12-11-2012 1:16pm

Fizman wrote: »

What kind of salaries are generally tied in with testing roles? I know this can vary depending on organisations etc, but I just want to get a ball park idea from user testing, to system level testing.

Hummm, ball park? From memory (it's been 6+ years since I was perm)...

this is HUGELY OPEN TO CORRECTION

Perm:
Junior tester = €25-30K
Senior tester = €35-40K (with non-functional skills) = €45-55K
Principle tester = €50-60K (with non-functional skills) = €55-65K
Manager = €55K+
Senior manager = €65K+

Contracting:
Junior = €200+ per day
Senior = €300+ per day
Specialist = €400+ per day

syklops · 12-11-2012 1:24pm

Can I suggest you get involved in an Open Source project and do some testing for them. It would look good on the CV and give you an idea of whats involved.

If you have not done any testing in the past, be warned, it can be very repetitive at times.

Zulu · 12-11-2012 1:38pm

syklops wrote: »

be warned, it can be very repetitive at times.

Repetitive. Thankless. Pressured. Thankless. Demotivating, and did I mention thankless?

syklops · 12-11-2012 1:41pm

Zulu wrote: »

Repetitive. Thankless. Pressured. Thankless. Demotivating, and did I mention thankless?

It can also be thankless, repetitive, and pressured.

And thankless.

ChRoMe · 12-11-2012 2:46pm

I have nothing but huge admiration for the QA guys I work with. Purely because if I had to do that job, I'd ****ing slit my wrists.

guile4582 · 30-07-2015 5:08pm

syklops wrote: »

Can I suggest you get involved in an Open Source project and do some testing for them. It would look good on the CV and give you an idea of whats involved.

If you have not done any testing in the past, be warned, it can be very repetitive at times.

complete noob here but have an interest in checking out if software testing is for me. i have a history working with developers giving a bit of feedback (odd occasion work software is updated), but never actually thought of this as maybe the career i actually want

excuse my ignorance but can you direct me towards getting involved in an open source project. or would any employers/agencies set you a test to see if you are cut out for it?

awec · 30-07-2015 7:12pm

IMO the role of the traditional QA tester is going the way of the dodo. You won't make a career out of being a person who manually goes through test cases.

Zulu · 31-07-2015 10:57pm

awec wrote: »

IMO the role of the traditional QA tester is going the way of the dodo. You won't make a career out of being a person who manually goes through test cases.

Arragh that not true... ...just yet!
If you aspire to execute manual testcases - and thats it - you're in big big trouble, but there'l always be room for a manual tester.

If you are starting out - with zero test experience - then skill up on basic scripting, learn the concepts of load/preference testing (and other non functional testing) and read up on the latest in XP/AGILE development.

(pro-tip: don't buy into AGILE BS - it's about the maturity of the team, not the methodology)

bambera · 04-08-2015 2:26pm

Hi,

I tried to do a bit of digging on ISTQB foundation exam but I'm a little confused.
In the FAQ section on istqb.org it implies that you can study by yourself for this exam but when I tried to find an exam center in Ireland I came to a dead end.

Is there actually an exam center or do you have to do a course through a company and take the exam with them?

Thanks

EDIT: Found centers on Pearson VUE website!

Blaire · 15-03-2016 11:15am

Hey guys,

This is my first post so bear with me, but I had to add my 2 cents to this thread. I know it's kind of old but someone might come across it on their quest for employment....

I was hired as a tester around 10 months ago with no experience at all, my boss was looking for someone to train in and he knew I was relatively clued in. Luckily, this line of work suits me and I've been getting on quite well.

Since you already have an IT degree, you're ahead of most. I would definitely recommend doing an ISTQB exam. I did one after a few months of testing with no pre-exam course and passed it without too much fuss. You can book an exam through Pearson Vue. You'll just have to create an account and the exam you're taking is the "ISTQB-ISEB Certified Tester Foundation Level". There are more advanced ISTQB exams but you have to pass this one before moving on up.

You probably have one already, but make a LinkedIn account. I only joined a few weeks ago and all I have to offer the world are a few months testing experience and that ISTQB certificate and I have already received messages from recruiters.

There is probably more work out there for developers than for testers. A lot of companies outsource their testing roles to countries like India where they can hire much cheaper labor. Having an IT degree behind you is great though, at least then you have more to offer than just the software testing skills that will be taught to you on the job.

M7edShin · 30-05-2016 11:21pm

Blaire wrote: »

Hey guys,

This is my first post so bear with me, but I had to add my 2 cents to this thread. I know it's kind of old but someone might come across it on their quest for employment....

I was hired as a tester around 10 months ago with no experience at all, my boss was looking for someone to train in and he knew I was relatively clued in. Luckily, this line of work suits me and I've been getting on quite well.

Since you already have an IT degree, you're ahead of most. I would definitely recommend doing an ISTQB exam. I did one after a few months of testing with no pre-exam course and passed it without too much fuss. You can book an exam through Pearson Vue. You'll just have to create an account and the exam you're taking is the "ISTQB-ISEB Certified Tester Foundation Level". There are more advanced ISTQB exams but you have to pass this one before moving on up.

You probably have one already, but make a LinkedIn account. I only joined a few weeks ago and all I have to offer the world are a few months testing experience and that ISTQB certificate and I have already received messages from recruiters.

There is probably more work out there for developers than for testers. A lot of companies outsource their testing roles to countries like India where they can hire much cheaper labor. Having an IT degree behind you is great though, at least then you have more to offer than just the software testing skills that will be taught to you on the job.

Oh buddy thank you very much.. I hoped to find someone say that because the topic was too old so didn't know if it is still valid info but great thank you. Just quick question.. I am doing a part time degree in computing at DIT going to third year and doing by online tutorials about software testing then going to the exam u mentioned earlier so do u think I can be hired while in college ? I have skills like SQL, Java, VB.net, Shell scripting, linux and more ... Everytime I see jobs as tester it requires a huge amount of skills and experience so u think employers could hire someone like me if i passed the exam of the software testing or what skills i need and how good should i be ??

tommyboy2222 · 07-06-2016 8:31pm

:p

M7edShin wrote: »

Oh buddy thank you very much.. I hoped to find someone say that because the topic was too old so didn't know if it is still valid info but great thank you. Just quick question.. I am doing a part time degree in computing at DIT going to third year and doing by online tutorials about software testing then going to the exam u mentioned earlier so do u think I can be hired while in college ? I have skills like SQL, Java, VB.net, Shell scripting, linux and more ... Everytime I see jobs as tester it requires a huge amount of skills and experience so u think employers could hire someone like me if i passed the exam of the software testing or what skills i need and how good should i be ??

Lol dont worry about the ridiculous job specs.

Companies basically want developers who are willing to test ( and pay them a testers wage)

Do you do the ISTQB foundation as part of your course ?

If so you would be sorted.

Do you not want to get into Development ?

M7edShin · 07-06-2016 9:12pm

tommyboy2222 wrote: »

:p

Lol dont worry about the ridiculous job specs.

Companies basically want developers who are willing to test ( and pay them a testers wage)

Do you do the ISTQB foundation as part of your course ?

If so you would be sorted.

Do you not want to get into Development ?

I will be 100% honest with you .. I do love programming ( I would like to become software development ) but the problem here is every single job require skills which is beyond my knowledge also some of the skills I have near heard of it as you know colleges dont teach you most of this skills so to become a developer you need huge content knowledge at least big project to show skills so that cannot be done in day and night but I am fed up being as operator and cannot wait to waste more time so I am trying to get into any any IT job that will make me gain experience during my college ( Like IT Support & Help Desk & Whatsoever ) then I saw that software Tester is a part of the business where developer are in there so I find if I do ISTQB and I have got few skills I may find a job as tester ( Just I hope ). Eventually No my course at DIT is more software engineering and development and I am trying to do ISTQB self study then will sit exam but honestly too much info and seems not easy .. I know u may say I am not determined which career to go but it's not true I know what I want but the reason of rushing a job is I want understand IT Sector I want gain experience how things work there ( Being operator is just waste of my life time you know what I mean ).. What is your opinion and what do you recommend me from your experience ? Thank you very much and sorry for typing too much

Software Tester

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