I started my career in QA quite unexpectedly for myself back in 2007. I applied for the vacancy of a system administrator with knowledge of Unix systems, but it turned out that I got to the position of QA. Here is such a non-standard, at first glance, story. I am still attracted to this direction in IT. There is nothing surprising here because this direction has changed, acquired new forms, and I, accordingly, also improved. Today I will tell you how to start a QA career, where and how long to get QA hard skills, and where there is also a fine line between middle and senior.
How to Start a QA Career
Previously, the conditions for career development were slightly different from those that exist now. A few years ago, after the courses, a person could immediately become a junior, now companies refuse such an approach, but they give the opportunity to start as a trainee. I am only for such changes since this is the period when a person can decide whether the QA profession is suitable for him/her at all. Before you go to QA courses and eventually become a trainee, ask yourself in general about the very specifics of the work, read on the forums, and dig deeper. Now, most often from what I hear, people come to the QA profession on the advice of friends, acquaintances, or they see targeted advertising for courses and decide that it is theirs.
Where to Get QA Hard Skills
At universities, it is possible to study in specialties only partially related to the QA profession. You will have to acquire hard skills yourself. It is possible both paid and free, so it’s up to you to choose. So, pay attention to:
- Paid courses
- YouTube lessons
- Free courses
- Webinars
- Articles on the web
- Forums
You need to acquire basic knowledge on your own, if you have it, you will be willingly accepted in an IT company as an intern. The average duration of the courses is from 3 to 6 months.
How to Understand that You Are
Already Middle QA
Junior QA requires a lot of attention from a highly experienced specialist. Accordingly, he/she does not quite understand what the problem is, which needs to be solved. Here the principle is that the mentor has indicated – the junior has completed – the mentor has checked. Junior is accompanied on each assignment. Also, he/she cannot give any kind of assessment for the problem, how to correctly approach the solution of the problem. Here’s what indicates that you are middle:
- The middle needs advice, not supervising
- The middle needs help in case of emergency (non-standard) situations
- Is well versed in the processes of the project life cycle
What Hard Skills a Senior QA Should Have
This is a person who can lead all the activities on the project:
- Conducting a competent analysis of requirements
- Defining a testing strategy
- Professional description of the test plan
- Maintaining all necessary documentation
- Teamwork coordination
- Planning parts of testing (manual and automated)
- Providing clear estimates (calculating time and costs)
- Making adjustments to the development methodology (taking into account the various stages of development)
What Soft Skills Should Senior QA Have?
Those soft skills that will be listed should have specialists of all levels, without exception, the only thing that will distinguish the senior is the ability to support their less experienced colleagues and share knowledge with them, as well as the willingness to take on “extra” responsibility. And the basic list of QA soft skills includes:
- Tolerant and polite communication
- Focus on problem-solving
- Desire for self-development
How to Start Junior QA
At Group 107 we offer our internship program. During the QA internship program, you will gain experience, the opportunity to work with real customers, support a mentor, the opportunity to understand whether this profession is really for you, and, finally, the opportunity to get into IT.
If you already have experience and are looking for a new job, then we will be happy to see you on the vacancies page. Submit your resume and become part of a large team!
