Software Testing as a Career choice in the UK

Software testing is a process for determining whether the actual software product meets the specified requirements and ensuring that it is defect-free. It entails the use of manual or automated methods to evaluate one or more areas of interest by executing system components. The purpose of software testing is to identify bugs, errors, gaps, or missing requirements in contrast to actual requirements.

Software testing is essential for delivering a high-quality product that is free of bugs and issues.

1. Abilities and Skills Required to Become a Software Tester

Here, we’ll go over the technical and non-technical skills needed to work as a software tester.

1.1. Technical Skills

Here are some of the technical skills required to become a software tester and these are as follows:

1.1.1 Basic database/SQL knowledge

In the background of software systems, there is a tremendous amount of data. In the backend, this data is saved in various databases such as Oracle, MySQL, and others. As a result, there will be times when this information needs to be verified. In that instance, simple/complex SQL queries can be used to determine whether the backend databases contain the correct data.

1.1.2. A Test Management Tool knowledge and hands-on experience

The importance of test management in software testing cannot be overstated. The software testing process will fail if adequate test management strategies are not used. Managing your testing artifacts is what test management is all about. For instance, a program like Testlink can be used to track all of your team’s test cases.

There are a variety of alternative programs that can be used for test management. Because such technologies are employed in the majority of businesses, it is critical to have knowledge and experience with them.

1.1.3. Understanding and hands-on experience with any Defect Tracking tool

The defect life cycle and defect tracking are important parts of software testing. It is vital to effectively manage faults and track them in a structured manner. Because the entire team, including management, programmers, and testers, should be aware of the defect, therefore defect tracking becomes important. QC, Bugzilla, Jira, and other technologies are used to track defects.

1.1.4. Automation tool knowledge

If you want to be an “Automation tester” after a few years of manual testing, you’ll need to master a tool and have in-depth, hands-on experience with automation technologies.

Remember: Knowing how to use any Automation tool isn’t enough to pass the interview; you’ll need plenty of hands-on experience, so practice with the tool of your choice until you’ve mastered it. If you’re seeking a career as an automation tester, knowing any scripting language such as VBScript, JavaScript, or C# is always beneficial.

1.1.5. Fundamental Understanding of Linux Commands

The majority of software applications, such as Web services, databases, and application servers, run on Linux PCs. As a result, testers must be familiar with Linux commands.

1.2. Non-Technical Skills

To become an excellent Software quality tester, you’ll need the following abilities. Check your skillset against the checklist below to see whether Software Testing is a possibility for you.

1.2.1. Passion

To be successful in any career or work, one must have a strong desire to succeed. A software tester must be enthusiastic about his or her work. But, if you’ve never tested software before, how can you know if you have a passion for it? Easy to understand Try it out, and if software testing does not pique your interest, move on to something else.

1.2.2. Time Management and Organizational Abilities

Testing can be a hard task at times, especially when new code is released. A software tester must be able to manage their task well, be productive, and have excellent time management and organizational abilities.

1.2.3. Communication Skill

A good software tester must be able to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing. The software tester’s test artifacts such as test cases, plans, test techniques, defect reports should be simple to read and understand. Working with developers in the case of bugs or other issues will necessitate a certain amount of tact and diplomacy.

1.2.4. Logical and Analytical Skills

A skilled software tester should be able to think critically. Analytical and logical skills will help in the decomposition of a complicated software system into smaller pieces for deeper comprehension and the creation of test cases.

1.2.5. Excellent Mindset for testing

You need a great mindset to be a competent software tester. An attitude of ‘testing to break,’ attention to detail, and a willingness to learn and suggest process changes are all desirable qualities. Technology evolves at a rapid pace in the software industry, and a skilled software tester should keep up with the latest developments by upgrading his or her technical Software testing skills. Your mindset should indicate a level of independence in which you accept responsibility for the task at present and execute it without requiring much close supervision.

2. Academic Qualifications

A software tester’s academic knowledge in Computer Science is required. A BTech/B.E., MCA, BCA, or BSc- Computers degree will get you a job easily.

If you do not have any of these degree courses, you must finish a software testing certification like ISTQB or CSTE, which will teach you about Software Development/Test Life Cycle and other testing methodologies.

3. What is the Role of a Software Tester

You’ll be busy studying requirement documents, designing test cases, executing test cases, reporting and re-testing defects, attending review meetings, and participating in other team-building activities on a normal workday.

3.1. Career Path of a Software Tester

Your Software Testing career development as a software tester (QA Analyst) in a typical CMMI level 5 corporation will look as follows but will differ from business to business.

Quality Assurance Analyst (Fresher)
Sr. Quality Assurance Analyst (2-3 years of experience)
Coordinator of the Quality Assurance Team (5-6 years of experience)\
Test Manager (8-11 years of experience)
Senior Test Manager (14+ years of experience)

3.2. Alternative Career Tracks of Software Tester

After you’ve invested heavily in manual testing, you can explore the following specialties.

Automation Testing: As an Automation Test Engineer, you’ll be in charge of automating the performance of manual test cases that would otherwise be time-consuming. IBM Rational Robot, Silk Performer, and QTP were used as tools.
Business Analyst: One of the primary advantages that Testers have over Developers is that they have a complete understanding of the business. A career as a Business Analyst is an obvious path for testers to choose. You will be accountable for studying and analyzing your company’s business model and workflows as a Business Analyst. As a Business Analyst, you’ll use technology to integrate these models and workflows.
Performance Testing: As a performance test engineer, you’ll be in charge of ensuring that applications are efficient (load time, the maximum load the program can handle, and so on). WEBLoad and Loadrunner can be utilized as tools.

4. How to Become a Software Tester

You begin by understanding the basic fundamentals of software testing. After that, you can start applying for freelancing employment. This will help you obtain practical experience and strengthen your understanding of testing ideas. After that, you’ll use Selenium as an automation tool, JMeter as a performance testing tool, and TestLink is a test management tool. While you’re learning, we recommend applying for freelance projects (apart from the other benefits, you’ll make some money).

After you’ve completed all of the tools, you might want to explore getting a certification. ISTQB is a certification program that we suggest. This is, though an optional step.

5. Salary

A software tester’s pay varies depending on the company. The average salary for a Software Tester is £32,970 in London, UK. In the United States, a software tester’s average compensation ranges from $45,993 to $74,935. In India, the average salary for a software tester is between Rs 247,315 and Rs 449,111. In addition, software testers are provided with health insurance, bonuses, gratuities, and other benefits.

6. Certification Courses

The ISTQB Foundation level certification is the most fundamental in the testing profession. It is not required, but it will assist you to stand a better chance of landing the job. This criterion is used by the majority of businesses. A software tester who has passed the ISTQB exam will be given higher priority than others. After that, when applying for permanent work in large organizations, you will have a wide range of Software tester abilities to offer, as well as some realistic freelancing experience that may be valuable and boost your chances of getting hired.

You can also get certified in your preferred testing tool.

As you can see, software testing has a lot of room for advancement. While each role has its own set of difficulties, it is comparable to other career pathways in that your responsibilities grow as your experience grows. As you enhance the business scale, you’ll need to enhance your knowledge and skillset.

Our core value of Best People, as well as our meritocracy concept, guide our recruitment strategy. In brief, TestDel aspires to attract, develop, and retain the best personnel for our company while also cultivating a fair, positive, and inclusive workplace. In light of this, we welcome applications from all qualified applicants, regardless of country or work authorization.

TestDel is bound by UK immigration rules, which impose some restrictions on foreign workers but we as a company are always happy to sponsor candidate who fulfil our criteria .

You van visit our FAQ’s for more information with regards to our recruitment process.