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A step-by-step guide on how to start a software testing career in india

Introduction

How to start a software testing career is a question many people are asking in today’s world of technology, which is completely dominated by machines, and their behaviour is controlled by the software powering it. Software testing provides the solution to all our worries about machines behaving the exact way we want them to. This article on “What is Software Testing (+How to Become a Software Tester?)” will provide you with an in-depth knowledge about:

What is software testing and its objectives? Different software testing types and principles Why software testing is vital for organizations? How can you become a software tester? This is what we’ll look into in this guide that will help you understand how to start a software testing career. So, let’s get started.

Objectives

Software testing can be stated as the process of verifying and validating that a software or application is bug free, meets the technical requirements as guided by it’s design and development and meets the user requirements effectively and efficiently with handling all the exceptional and boundary cases.

The process of software testing aims not only at finding faults in the existing software but also at finding measures to improve the software in terms of efficiency, accuracy and usability. It mainly aims at measuring specification, functionality and performance of a software program or application.

Now let’s see the standard definition according to ANSI/IEEE 1059 standard:

A process of analyzing a software item to detect the differences between existing and required conditions (i.e., defects) and to evaluate the features of the software item.

The goals and objectives of software testing are numerous, which when achieved help developers build a defectless and error free software and application that has exceptional performance, quality, effectiveness, security, among other things. Though the objective of testing can vary from company to company and project to project, there are some goals that are similar for all. These objectives are:

Verification: A prominent objective of testing is verification, which allows testers to confirm that the software meets the various business and technical requirements stated by the client before the inception of the whole project. These requirements and specifications guide the design and development of the software, hence are required to be followed rigorously. Moreover, compliance with these requirements and specifications is important for the success of the project as well as to satisfy the client.
Validation: Confirms that the software performs as expected and as per the requirements of the clients. Validation involves checking the comparing the final output with the expected output and then making necessary changes if there is a difference between the two.

Defects: The most important purpose of testing is to find different defects in the software to prevent its failure or crash during implementation or go live of the project. Defects if left undetected or unattended can harm the functioning of the software and can lead to loss of resources, money, and reputation of the client. Therefore, software testing is executed regularly during each stage of software development to find defects of various kinds. The ultimate source of these defects can be traced back to a fault introduced during the specification, design, development, or programming phases of the software.

Providing Information: With the assistance of reports generated during the process of software testing, testers can accumulate a variety of information related to the software and the steps taken to prevent its failure. These, then can be shared with all the stakeholders of the project for better understanding of the project as well as to establish transparency between members.

Preventing Defects: During the process of testing the aim of testes to identify defects and prevent them from occurring aging in the future. To accomplish this goal, software is tested rigorously by independent testers, who are not responsible for software development.

Now that you know about software testing and the objectives of it, let’s move ahead and have a look at the types and principles of software testing.

Types

The Different Types Of Software Testing That Are Broadly Classified Include:

1. Manual Testing

Manual testing includes testing a software manually, i.e., without using any automated tool or any script. In this type, the tester takes over the role of an end-user and tests the software to identify any unexpected behavior or bug. There are different stages for manual testing such as unit testing, integration testing, system testing, and user acceptance testing.

Testers use test plans, test cases, or test scenarios to test a software to ensure the completeness of testing. Manual testing also includes exploratory testing, as testers explore the software to identify errors in it.

2. Automation Testing

Automation testing, which is also known as Test Automation, is when the tester writes scripts and uses another software to test the product. This process involves automation of a manual process. Automation Testing is used to re-run the test scenarios that were performed manually, quickly, and repeatedly.

Apart from regression testing, automation testing is also used to test the application from load, performance, and stress point of view. It increases the test coverage, improves accuracy, and saves time and money in comparison to manual testing.

Testing of software or applications consist of some principles that play a significant role while testing the project.

The Principles of Software Testing are as follows:

Principle 1: Software testing can help in detecting bugs

Testing any software or project can help in revealing a few or some defects that may or may not be detected by developers. However, testing of software alone cannot confirm that your developed project or software is error free. Hence, it’s essential to devise test cases and find out as many defects as possible.

Principle 2: Testing with effectiveness is impossible

Until your project or application under test has a straightforward structure having limited input, it won’t be likely or achievable to check and test all feasible sets of data, modules, and scenarios.

Principle 3: Early testing

The earlier you will begin to test your project or software the better you will find to utilize your existing time.

Principle 4: Defect in clustering

At the time of testing, you can observe that majority of the defects or bugs reported are because of a small number of modules inside your software or system.

Principle 5: Software testing is context-dependent

Various methods, procedures, and kinds of testing are there which defines the type and characteristics of the application. For example, an application related to health device needs more testing and doctor based feedbacks than a game or small software.

Principle 6: Error free or Bug-free software is a myth

Just because when a tester tested an application and didn’t detect any defects in that project, doesn’t indicate or imply that your software is ready for shipping.

With that said, let’s find out as to why it is important for organizations to focus on software testing.

Why

Well, it’s common for many start-ups to skip testing. They might say that their budget is the reason why they overlook such an important step. They think it would lead to no major consequences. But to make a strong and positive first impression, it needs to be top-notch. And for that, testing the product for bugs is a must.

Similarly, established organizations need to maintain their client base and their impression. So they have to ensure the delivery of flawless products to the end-user. Let’s take a look at some points and see why software testing is vital to good software development for organizations.

Reason 1: Enhance Product Quality

An enterprise can bring value to their customers only when the product delivered is ideal. And to achieve that, organizations have to make sure that users don’t face any issues while using their product. The fool-proof way of doing it is by making your product bug-free.

Organizations have to focus on testing applications and fix the bugs that testing reveals before releasing the product. When the team resolves issues before the product reaches the customer, the quality of the deliverable increases.

Reason 2: Improve Security

When customers use the product, they are bound to reveal some sort of personal information. To prevent hackers from getting hold of this data, security testing is a must before the software is released. When an organization follows a proper testing process, it ensures a secure product that in turn makes customers feel safe while using the product.

For instance, banking applications or e-commerce stores need payment information. If the developers don’t fix security-related bugs, it can cause massive financial loss.

The other part of security is not losing your data. It’s common today for people to store data in cloud storage. You also probably have your photos and files stored on iCloud or Google drive.

What if something goes wrong and you lose all your data? One of your nightmares isn’t it? Security of a product not only protects information from hackers but also makes sure it’s not lost or gets corrupted.

Reason 3: Detect Compatibility With Different Devices and Platforms

The days are gone when customers worked exclusively on hefty desktops. In the mobile-first age, testing a product’s device compatibility is a must.

For instance, let’s say your organization developed a website. The tester must check whether the website runs on different device resolutions. Additionally, it should also run on different browsers.

Another reason why testing is gaining more importance is ever-increasing browser options. What works fine on Chrome may not run well on Safari or Internet Explorer. This gives rise to the need for cross-browser testing, which includes checking the compatibility of the application on different browsers.

Become

To land a Job in a top organization successfully as a Certified Software Tester you’ll need to master the role, key duties, responsibilities, skills, and certifications that are required by a security analyst job description.

Software Tester Job Description

A software tester or test engineer makes sure new software does what it was created to do. They act as quality assurance professionals by searching for coding and programming bugs that might cause the software to not operate correctly. By identifying problems before the software gets released, they ensure that computer systems and products that use technology are safe and effective – preventing headaches for their employers. Software Testers tend to work a standard business day inside an office. However, they may be called upon to perform overtime when software needs to be perfected before a deadline or asked to travel to a specific site to perform tests there.

Software Tester/Test Engineer Responsibilities And Duties

Calculate and implement functional, integration, performance and stress tests.
Debug issues and conduct non-systematic testing to identify root cause of issues.
Prioritize and implement multiple activities in parallel.
Engage in peer reviews, requirements, code, design and test.
Use automated test tools and methods for full functional coverage.
Design test scenarios and test cases and be self-motivated to learn new areas.
Evaluate and select third party automated test tools.
Coordinate with Product Owners to determine and prioritize usage scenarios.
Work with Business Analysts to determine and prioritize execution scenarios.
Create suitable functional test plans.
Create automated tests within third party tools.
Set up suitable application test coverage requirements.
Determine and develop functional test data stores.
Synthesize with regulatory staff to comply with regulatory requirements.
Create and implement test cases as per test plan.

Software Tester Skills

Depending on our research, we determined the subsequent core skills one should own to acquire a job as a Certified Software Tester. These include:.

Communicating efficiently with colleagues and clients using (as needed) technical terms or “plain language”
Multitasking with ease, since services may be required on different projects at the same time
Handling stress well because finding problems with the software can cause projects to go off-track and emotions to escalate
Learning new skills willingly in the ever-changing world of technology
Learning new skills willingly in the ever-changing world of technology

Required Education Qualification, Training and Work Experience

In order to acquire the Software Tester Job, one should first earn:

12th/ Diploma in relevant field, bachelor's degree in computer science or related field, Master's Degree in Science/Technology/Computers
Understanding of best practices regarding system security measures
Knowledge of testing methodologies and when certain strategies are recommended
Working knowledge of test techniques and compatibility with various software programs

As for the required training, a candidate should complete Certifications in TQM, ISO etc. quality process, software testing techniques, test writing plans, ISTQB, CSTE, CSQA, Windows, UNIX, Networking

Whereas, the job experience to apply for the position mandates a candidate to have 0-2 years of work experience/internship in testing and quality assurance.

10 Best Online Courses & Certifications For A Software Tester In 2021

Looking to start a career as a software tester? One of these online software testing courses and certifications will work best to put you on the right track to acquiring Career Opportunities In Software Testing.

ISTQB Software Testing Foundation
Selenium WebDriver Training with Java Basics
Mobile Automation: Appium Cucumber for Android & iOS
LinkedIn Learning - Monday Productivity Pointers Course – Lynda
Learning Test-Driven Development in Java
WebdriverIO (v5) - Selenium Webdriver using Node.js & More
Diploma in Computer Networking
LinkedIn Learning- Test Automation Engineer Course - Lynda
Robot Framework Test Automation - Level 1
Best QA Manual Software Testing

Software Tester Salary (Expected Earnings)

The average salary for Software Tester Job according to different job experience is as follows:

An entry-level Software Tester with less than 1 year experience can expect to earn an average total compensation of ₹206,893 based on 252 salaries.
An early career Software Tester with 1-4 years of experience earns an average total compensation of ₹332,912 based on 244 salaries.
A mid-career Software Tester with 5-9 years of experience earns an average total compensation of ₹640,610 based on 44 salaries.
An experienced Software Tester with 10-19 years of experience earns an average total compensation of ₹976,020 based on 68 salaries.

Higher earnings are possible, however, salaries vary significantly – based on the industry, size of the business, and depending on the different skills you possess, it can affect your salary.

[Income figures are intended as a guide only.]

Conclusion

Software testing has a bright future in front of it as an increasing number of companies are investing in the development of digital products. This blog on how to become a Software Tester has given you great insights into what Software Testing is and the roles and responsibilities of a Tester. You now know the essential Software Testing prerequisites to grab a job as a fresher.

Are you planning to apply for the role of a software tester? Well, do you still have doubts regarding the best way to become a software tester, start with a FREE ONLINE CAREER COUNSELLING.

The team of Counsellors and Mentors at MyCareerGurukul can help you choose a career path by building a proper career action plan that’s well suited for you to reach your goals.

We hope this piece has helped you develop a better understanding of the way a software tester must work. The Best of Luck in your Job Securing Efforts!

FAQs

Q1: What is software testing?

A1: Software testing is a process to evaluate the functionality of a software application to find any software bugs.

Q2: What are the objectives of software testing?

A2: The main objectives of software testing are to ensure the software meets the requirements, validate its functionality, and find and fix any defects.

Q3: What are the different types of software testing?

A3: There are various types of software testing, including unit testing, integration testing, system testing, and acceptance testing.

Q4: Why is software testing vital for organizations?

A4: Software testing is vital for organizations to ensure the software is working as expected, to provide a quality product to customers, and to prevent any potential issues or losses.

Q5: How can one become a software tester?

A5: To become a software tester, one needs to have a good understanding of software testing principles, get a relevant certification if possible, and gain practical experience in the field.

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