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According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment is projected to grow from 162.8 million to 168.8 million jobs from 2019 to 2029. This projection means many varied opportunities exist as career options for job seekers. Of these careers, jobs in the fields of science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM) will be among some of the most in demand jobs in the future. Some commonly known STEM employment roles are computer programmers, software engineers, mechanical engineers, and website developers. These jobs are, and will continue to be, in high demand. A lesser known STEM career, software testing, is intricately connected to many STEM occupations.
What Is Software Testing?
Software testing finds defects in software applications. The defects are variations or deviations of the software application function from the end user’s requirements or original business requirements. What does that look like in real life? On a typical work day, a software tester will be busy understanding requirement documents, creating test cases, executing test cases, and reporting and re-testing bugs. In addition to these activities, software testers can also expect to attend multiple review meetings with internal team members and external clients.
Why Software Testing Is Important
Software testing is important because if bugs or errors exist in software, they can be identified early and can be addressed before delivery of the software products. Software testing ensures a software product is reliable, secure and high performing. For businesses this can result in time and cost saving, as well as in customer satisfaction.
Employment Potential of Software Testing in the US
Software testing as a field of employment is just as critical and crucial to the future economy as the field of software development. Software testing may have equal to, or more, job opportunities than software development.
Software testing may be an overlooked profession by many individuals looking to start or change career paths. At Thornton Consulting, we offer software testing training to help those interested in embarking on an exciting career in the field of Technology.
Software Testing as An In Demand Profession
The proliferation of software applications enabling everyday processes and society’s day-to-day functions ensures software testing will remain as an in-demand profession. The profession of software development, which is the creation of software applications, is intricately interwined with software testing. Each new development of a software application presents the opportunity for software testing. The same goes for the redevelopment and upgrading of legacy platforms and applications. A positive correlation exists between the number of applications being developed or redeveloped and demand for the software testing profession.
The Career Path of a Software Tester
The career path as a software tester can be varied depending upon the exposure to the field and an individual’s educational background. Growth in the profession can vary from company to company but typically will look like the following:
- Jr, Quality Assurance (QA) Analyst (0-2 years experience)
- QA Analyst (2-3 years’ experience)
- QA Team Coordinator (5-6 years’ experience)
- Test Manager (8-11 years’ experience)
- Senior Test Manager (14+ experience)
Skills Needed to Become a Software Tester
Software testing requires the right balance of technical and non-technical skills.
| Non-technical Skills | Technical Skills |
| Analytical Skills | Knowledge of Database/SGL |
| Communication Skills | Knowledge of Linux Commands |
| Time Management | Knowledge of Test Management Tools |
| Organizational Skills | Knowledge of Defect Tracking Tools |
Certifications for Software Testers
The foundation level certification granted by the International Software Testing Quality Board (ISTQB) is the basic certification in Testing field. As of January 2021, ISTQB® has administered over 1 million exams and issued more than 750,000 certifications in 129 countries world-wide.
Choose the Right Partner for Your Software Testing Needs
Thornton Consulting Firm provides software testing, quality assurance and software testing training services. We collaborate with key project stakeholders to ensure software systems meet customer requirements and to verify that all defects are found and fixed before scheduled production deployment. Our firm’s customer base includes:
- Governmental, military, educational institutions
- Technology startups
- Fortune 500 companies
Our goal is to serve our business customers with software testing solutions designed to ensure the smooth deployment of a quality product. We want to make your software implementation process less time consuming and less costly.
Thornton Consulting Firm’s Capabilities
- Ensure your software meets the desired requirements. We perform the testing needed to produce a defect-free product.
- Deliver quality software by letting our team be the extra set of eyes. We create and execute thorough test plans.
- Learn and practice software testing techniques via our on-demand courses, live virtual classes and access to our experts