In this article, I’ll share the top 10 lessons I’ve learned after 10 years of software testing.
After spending almost a decade in the software testing industry, I can write about some of my key lessons from years of experience in the software testing field.
People frequently ask whether I will perform any testing in my current role. My answer is, YES, always!
As I have written in many STH posts, software testing is about mind and eyes and not about years of experience. It is expected to grow with experience.
Table of Contents:
- Lessons Picked Up After Years of Testing Careers
- #1) Software Testing is Challenging
- #2) Software Testing is About Attitude
- #3) Requires Communication Skills
- #4) Demands Analysis Skills
- #5) Constant Learning
- #6) Does Not Ask For Certification but Skill
- #7) Self-motivation
- #8) Understanding Priority
- #9) Customer Satisfaction in Qualitative Ways
- #10) Job you can be Proud of
- Conclusion
Lessons Picked Up After Years of Testing Careers
At a beginner level, when you miss out on a bug, you are just notified about it. At the middle level, when you miss out on a critical bug, you are instructed not to repeat it and at the senior level; you are not supposed to make that kind of mistake.
So with experience, one needs to understand the responsibility they carry. I have just tried to point out my learnings.
#1) Software Testing is Challenging
When I hear that there is nothing to do about software testing, I feel strange.
Isn’t it difficult to taste the recipe prepared by the chef and tell him he forgot to add salt? Isn’t it difficult to suggest the self-proclaimed best painter to use orange instead of blue? Isn’t it difficult to find spelling mistakes in a 200-page book?
That is how software testing is. It challenges you to be alert, well acquainted, and be the one whom people like even if you are finding mistakes in his work.
#2) Software Testing is About Attitude
Always remember that finding faults in other’s work does not give the right to be rude, critical, or authoritative.
The right attitude to help in improving quality should be the prime concern. A tester needs to approach the testing task with the right attitude and should look at the bigger picture rather than just criticizing someone or proving oneself better.
#3) Requires Communication Skills
When your job is to find faults in others’ work and convey the same to the relevant person too, it needs a tactful approach. No one would like to hear “You have made mistakes”, but everyone would respond positively to “We can do this better in this way, don’t you think?”
#4) Demands Analysis Skills
Why do developers willingly resolve bugs, reported by Tester X but not by Tester Y?
Tester X always provides better information about the bug reported. He does some investigation around the issue and tries to understand the root cause of the issue. He will render a bug report with details and that is the reason developers like to prioritize his bugs.
#5) Constant Learning
To survive in any field, one needs to improve continuously and software testing is also not an exception either.
The market is flooded with a variety of tools, documents, blogs, and many other means to learn new things. To grow and be good at what you are doing, you need to select the one based on your area of work and choices, along with current demands.
For example, five years ago, has anyone ever thought that we would look for mobile testers so badly? That’s how technology, generation, and demands have changed and, to survive, and learn.
#6) Does Not Ask For Certification but Skill
There is nothing wrong with getting certified, but it’s not compulsory.
A good tester needs to possess testing skills like a sharp eye for detail, analytical and troubleshooting skills, etc. and I believe no certification can prove that you are good at those mentioned skills. While writing test cases, none of us would prefer to think about boundary value analysis and decision tables specifically. What one needs is the application of common sense on knowledge.
#7) Self-motivation
Who would like a person who shows litter on your balcony and makes you sweep it? No matter if he is helping to make something clean, mostly he won’t be appreciated.
That is how the profession is! You might or might not be appreciated for the quality work you are doing but you need to understand the importance of what you are doing. And timely, you need to pat on your back for the work you are doing.
Tell yourself “I am doing the best job in the world as I am helping in improving something”, at day start and you will need no one’s favorable judgment to motivate you.
#8) Understanding Priority
What will you choose when you want to attend a party but you have to be at home to look after something? You will understand the circumstances, will decide on priorities, and will select the best option.
This is how software testing too works. As a tester, many tasks can distract you at a time, but you need to understand the priority of each, learn from past experiences, seek advice from those who have already experienced it and ultimately work as per priority.
When you are in a crunch of time, there is no need to document everything but to perform testing and likewise, all processes need to be followed for a maintenance project.
#9) Customer Satisfaction in Qualitative Ways
If you are a tester, you need to be an end user.
It does not matter how the product should be used, but it matters to know how the product can be used because that is how the end user is going to use the product. It will be helpful to put yourself in the end user’s shoes and think about the behavior of the product when not closed properly, tabbed continuously when handled by a child, or when there is no power, and so on.
In the real world, how many of us start our computers according to the user manual? Most of us don’t. Because for us, it’s a process we have become familiar with over the years and now we feel that no documentation can enhance the process.
The same applies to the end user’s expectations, too. Everyone simplistically wants a superb product and as a tester, your job is to test that simplicity.
#10) Job you can be Proud of
I don’t think I need to write a single word about this point. No one can make you feel inferior without your consent. And remember, if you’re not proud, you’re not done.
Conclusion
Be smart, follow your heart and your goals. I’m sure you will find yourself on a career path that fills you with confidence and pride. I hope you can learn something from my experience and grow at a much faster pace in your career!
About the author: This inspirational post was written by STH team member Bhumika M. She is a project lead, carrying 10+ years of software testing experience. She is totally into testing and loves to test everything that exists.
Do you want to share what you’ve learned from this profession? We would like to know about your experiences in the comments section below. We would love to hear from you.
Happy testing!!
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Nice Article and its very useful. Thanks Bhumika. All points are inspirational and motivating..keep posting such types of article…
Thanks STH team for wonderful and truthful post…
I would like to know,
how to make testable application to be more interestable one
Yeah I do suppose this being an 8+ years of experience. Information is very well captured. Among all, I fee Lesson #5: Software testing is about constant learning carries more weight…
Thanks,
Datha
Nice Article.
It is true as in my career life. It is very useful to young aspirants.
very much connects to testers. Privileged to work with one of them who carries almost all the above mentioned points.
@Ricky, @Subidh, @Thaer, @VJ, @Chinmay, @Veena, @Mohammad, @Ranjan, @Pallavi,
Thanks a lot for your continuous readership. Glad to know that article was useful.
Thanks !!!
Thanks Bhumika u are angel.
somtime i feel very inferior about my job.
I found no value of mine in office comparison to developers.
Thank you, I worked as a tester for 3 years but have to spend a year for graduating from university with master deg. Now it is little hard for me to find the job but you remembered me why I have chosen this path)))
Excellent post Bhumika…! 🙂 Really very inspiring..! All the lessons what you have mentioned are true.
Great Article…Thanks!
Excellently done !!!
10 Lessons learnt in 10 Years !!
A great article and immensely useful for serious software testers.
You wrote my mind. I am a test professional have been into software testing for a decade. I still enjoy testing:)
Appreciate your article. Thinking to write something myself 🙂
i was really interested in testing so i did diploma in software testing. but still not getting any job opportunity. Is there any opening in pune if it is plz mail me. My id is anuragtrivedi282@gmail.com.thnx in advance
nice written…
Nicely written!!! Very helpful for novice tester!!
Inspiring.
Excellent post.. Very inspiring..
Really good written
Inspiring article . Your article makes me think to be in the software testing field and grow up in testing career .
Awesome Job thanks..!!
All the 10 points are really nice and true facts
Good summary!
all the 10 points are superb
All points are inspirational
Very well written and explained all points in a good summarised way. Always your article are really good Bhumika.. Keep writing and sharing
Good One 🙂
Splendid Blog by Bhumika.
Really very useful article, it gives me immense self confidence to me in testing profession.
Thats a Great.! & India is taking one more step towards Quality Assurance to become a giant of the world.
Thanks for that affirming insights.
Experience is Earned but Expertise is grante.(Read Some where)
The Author given a fair try but I felt this would be great post if she have included some of her real time challenges or Real Scenarios she have faced in her 10 years of testing journey.
If she would have Shared Testing industry and her views about her job on Day 1 and her views about her job and industry on Day1 of 10 years Journey will be Inspirational.
Nice post. We should always go for learning new things. Thanks a lot for motivation.
Inspiring.
Some things you missed out are like:
1. Be a suck up to managers
2. If the client tells you to stop testing, you put all the defects up your rear.
3. Testing has become a joke in most corporates
4. Testers are looked upon as though they have no skill
5. During layoffs, testers are targetted more.
Thanks for sharing this. It is helpful info.
what a useful post
It’s grt for me….
Awesome inspirational messages
Love this post. Especially #5 and #7. If a Tester is motivated to constantly learn, there is nothing to stop them from being amazing. A passionate Tester can be a game changer for a software development team!
Wonderful Fruit of Experiences!!
Thanks STH team…you are doing a wonderful job.
Love all the articles that you publish.
Recently you have published a course for beginers/freshers/laterals who want to take up testing as a career option. But the timings are not really comfortable… can the same class be opted from 8pm to 10pm…. that would be comfortable for people who are working and looking at other options….
Waiting for a positive response.
Thanks in advance.
Good….
Great observarions! Nicely presented.
Thanks for sharing. There are things I’ve got from what you’d shared.
Thank you STH team and madam for giving a vision in QA profession. I am also a Very Good Tester and always proud to be a Tester….
Really thank to boost my confidence for what I do and what is my perception toward quality.
Makes me feel proud and in the search of absolute happiness i like to say i m on the way. The artical is outstanding full of energy from start to end . Dhanayawad for this artical.
very nice and motivating artical.
your every post boost confidence in testers..Please Keep Writing..Thank you ….:)
Excellent post Bhumika..! Very inspiring ..! 🙂 Every lesson what you have mentioned is very true. Its really very annoying to listen from developer’s that, we testers doesn’t work hard like them or when they say.. Testing is a very easy job, which can be done by anybody. The most annoying is when a developer behaves rudely, when we log a bug. In all the above situations we, really need patience to work in such an environment. This post will really motivates us and make us proud for our challenging work. 🙂
Thanks a lot Bhumika for sharing your wonderful experience among us…..
Superb…. Very well written.. instead of 7plus you could have said 10 yrs and counting…:) the tester in me spoke.
@All readers,
While reading comments on some of the previous posts and this post, I have realized that my articles are well accepted and of great help and that really gives satisfaction. Thankful to all of you, who read, appreciated the hard work I had put in and agreed/disagreed to the opinions.
Thanks all of you again.
Nice Article… Thanks 🙂
I do agree!
So true!! Thanks for sharing your experience 🙂
What an inspirational post…very helpful !! Thanks for sharing it Bhumika.
@All Readers,
Glad to know that the post was inspirational, motivating and affirming :-).
Thanks and stay tuned, as always.
Very inspiring & motivating post. Thanks!!
Thanks for sharing the experience @bhumika,
#realistic !
Really really nice post however the author claims to have 7 yrs of experience which contradicts with the subject line of this post
Nice article. Being in the industry for over a decade, I can relate to all the points mentioned. They apply even more in today’s times than ever before.
Remarkable Article! Good in all the way…
Very useful post.Needed that boost as a beginner.
Thanks!!
The author has experience of 7 years, but the title of the article says “10 Lessons Learned from 10 Years of Career in Software Testing” 🙂
But nevertheless, the article is superb and a must read for novice testers.
thanks for the catch Mohammad. Using same author bio for the last 3-4 years 😉
Thankyou so much STH team to give knowledgeble content to boost my carrier. Happy testing.
But only with manual do we have future? :/