This article is intended to make our readers aware of some of the most common myths in software testing vs reality. Get a detailed explanation of all these Myths in simple terms:
Having been in the QA field for 9 years now, I have seen that some people tend to generally stay away from a testing job. They feel inferior and have a lot of negative thoughts running through their minds.
I would like to share my thoughts and experiences and address some of the common myths that people have.
Sometimes, for various reasons, there are a lot of expectations that we set for ourselves but aren’t always true. These expectations often lead to a lot of disappointment and distress because none of them are going to be met, as they weren’t valid in the first place.
Table of Contents:
Myths in Software Testing vs Reality

Today we want to list a few of them and also start a forum for discussion on what other testing professionals think of this topic.
My personal experiences in the following areas tell me that I am on to something. But I would seek all of your opinions are the same.
9 Common Myths About Being A Software Tester Vs Reality
Let’s start!!
#1) Testers get Involved ONLY Post-development in Project Lifecycle
This is one of the biggest myths. If it becomes a reality, the project has huge problems.
- Involving QA at a later stage is a big risk to the quality and the schedule of the deliverables.
- Testers need an equal amount of time as developers. This is to understand the requirements, analyze gaps, prepare their deliverables, and plan & execute tests.
- If testers are involved at the later stage of the project then they rely on the developers understanding and follow it while testing the product. In the end, it’s very unlikely to improve the quality of the deliverables.
Instead, a test team must have its mindset, understanding, analysis, time, and involvement from the beginning.
This will not only help the QA team test in a better way but also let the entire project team implement better quality assurance. Many organizations realize this and include their QA teams from the project’s initiation.
#2) Testers will not Become Project Managers
Many think that if you are a tester, you do not have career growth in the management side. However, both are mutually exclusive. To be a manager you need to acquire skills like people management, cost management, time management, etc. As you can see this has nothing to do with Testing, Development, or anything else technical.
The project management skills have to be developed separately and anyone belonging to any technology or stream can do that. Therefore, being a tester does not deter project management pursuits. It is an independent field and anyone with a keen interest can make it.
#3) Reporting to Dev Lead is a “block” to a Tester’s Career
Ideally, there should be separate verticals; both the Dev lead and QA lead should report to a PM. But sometimes there might just be a Dev lead for both Dev and test teams and we have to report to someone who might not know about testing in-depth. It is not the best situation but it is not the end of the world.
As long as you are doing your job right and being patient with the lead to help them catch up with testing practices, you should be good and will not have a long-term negative impact on your career.
#4) People with Weak Coding Skills are Assigned to Testing
The most common myth about being a tester is that testers are not good coders. Testing involves coding too, in most cases.
- Testers write complex SQL queries to validate data or to create test data in case of ETL testing/data validation.
- Testers do convert the code written in one DB to another in the case of migration testing.
- To automate testing, you are required to write scripts in JAVA/Perl or other coding languages.
So, there is no weight to this opinion.
Also Read => Top 5 Things a Tester Must Have to Excel
#5) Testing is Clicking on Random Places
A common perception is that testing is just clicking on UI randomly and tracking details in Excel or other documents.
The reality is that testers perform very well-defined test steps to ensure that the UI/APP is working in exceptional cases as well. So, it is the vision that counts.
Since a user does not have boundaries on what they can and cannot do, the same goes for testers. This is why it is important to explore the UI, which might look like lots of random clicks. Only we testers know that there is a method to this madness.
#6) Testing is Just Documentation/filling Excel Sheets
Firstly, let me strongly say this, documentation is the job of everyone working on a project. A precise, complete, and accurate document gives a foundation and historical evidence about the project.
However, for testers, documentation is more important because the deliverable we create is not a program or module, but it is an assured quality that takes a solid shape through artifacts. The Microsoft Office suite is the go-to choice for most teams but to take it to the next level, use test management software.
#7) Testers Have a Low Pay Scale
If this is happening to a tester then he/she is in the wrong place and might need to consider a change. Having said that, pay depends on a lot of factors and to say that being a tester is the ONLY reason why you will be paid less, it’s not true.
For more information and some quick comparison, checkpoint#5 here => Who Earns More, Software Tester Or Developer? Let’s Find Out By Comparing Salary
#8) Testers do not Get Fame
Testing sometimes seems like a “thankless” job. Understand that it is nothing personal. It is sometimes a matter of the company’s culture on how they value their teams.
Try to stay positive and let your work speak for itself. Try not to expect medals and awards for doing your job. Agreed that things are easier if the team and the clients appreciate the QA teams, but if they don’t, it does not mean we should undervalue ourselves.
I worked in both extremes and thoroughly enjoyed working with clients who knew what QA and its importance are.
#9) Testers Delay Project Delivery
Irrespective of starting in parallel with the Dev team, we still have to wait until the development is completely done to start testing. Following that there is bug reporting, correcting, retesting, etc. This gives a superficial impression that testing is dragging the project on and on.
The problem does not arise with teams that have pre-planned test cycles. So, testing does not delay projects but incorrect planning and unreasonable expectations do.
Major Misconceptions that Testers Need to Dismiss
Misconception #1:
Automation Testers do not have to Bother themselves with manual testing
Nothing could be more far-fetched than this statement. Automation testing, as we have stated repeatedly on STH, is also testing. It only differs in the area of how testing is performed. It should not be forgotten that automation testing always succeeds or follows the manual testing process. Sometimes, automation testers and manual testers are the same. However, not all projects are automation projects.
So, we are testers first, and it is important to remember that before we make the specialization our main area of focus.
Having worked on one automation project does not and ideally should not ruin us for manual testing.
Manual testing is a skill that we all build on; it is fundamental and our foundation. Automation testing is great. It is the closest thing to magic we have in our QA field. But considering one to be inferior or superior to the other is not the attitude we want to see in the field.
Automation testers perform a manual testing role in some projects and manual testers perform automation in other cases. They are not mutually exclusive. The differentiation of testers as manual testers or automation testers is quite disturbing. Let us not encourage this culture.
Misconception #2:
Test leads do not ‘test’
I had a colleague at a client located in the US, where we were both handling a module in a project. He had 3 offshore resources reporting to him and whenever he made effort estimates or test plans, he always did so taking into consideration only 3 people for test design and test execution.
When this came up in an audit meeting and he was asked why he was not counting him (my colleague) to be involved in these activities, his answer baffled many of us. He thinks it is beneath him as a test lead to write test cases and execute them. He would not bother with those tasks because he thinks they are “lowly” and that he would only overlook or coordinate the process.
What followed in the meeting is not relevant to us, but let me tell you that he is not alone in feeling that way.
The reality is that the industry standard for coordination efforts is just 10%. Test lead is also, always a part of the QA team, which makes a lead responsible for contributing to the testing activities. Agreed, there are other tasks as well.
So, a percentage of the QA lead’s bandwidth, however small it might be, must go towards testing activities. We have to prepare ourselves to be a tester doing all the tasks we would normally do as a QA team member for the rest of our careers, or it might be time to consider a switch in fields.
Also read => Test Lead Responsibilities and How to Manage Test Teams Effectively.
Misconception #3:
Testers tend to doubt everything and that they are the forever sceptics in the IT Industry
Imagine how difficult life would be if we did not trust anything. A skeptic’s life is the toughest. If it were true that we doubt everything – we would even be questioning the very existence, implementation, and efficiency of the software – which means we are working while believing that the product is useless.
Do you think that’s the right attitude? Can we do justice to spending a good amount of time working on a software system while we think it is absolute garbage? I don’t think so.
When in need of some guidance as to what kind of mindset is best, the quote by a former US president, Ronald Reagan comes to mind – “Trust, but verify”. Even though the context is completely different, this hits home like nothing else would.
Therefore, contrary to popular belief, we testers believe in the software’s ability, performance, efficiency, productivity, purpose & capabilities and we always root for its success when it hits the live world.
But we want to make sure that it is at its absolute best. We test keeping in mind that the product is great and that we need to identify and remove anything that might negatively impact an already terrific product. We believe in it and are ardent fans of it. Isn’t that true? It is for us and we are sure that it is the same for you too.
Myths About Software Tester’s Job
This section includes a detailed explanation of the various Myths about Software Tester’s Job. Understand if a Software Tester’s job is a low-profile job or not.
These are some of the Myths that may be in the minds of beginner-level IT professionals:
Myth #1: No application of Engineering knowledge
Myth #2: Limited scope for learning
Myth #3: Credit not given to the testers for the final software product
Myth #4: Pay for developers is higher than for testers
None of which are true. Let me explain why:
Myth #1: No Application of Engineering Knowledge
- Many times, we (Computer Science graduates especially) feel a sense of disappointment if the first assignment in our first job is a testing project. This is because the curriculum of Software Engineering does not include the Software Testing discipline. So we are unprepared to perceive that topics other than development, DB, or network have anything to contribute to software production. It is natural to feel slightly cheated.
- However, though it is not typical or required for testers to have an in-depth understanding of programming languages, this trend is changing and testers with programming skills are highly valued. We can find that out for ourselves if we persist for a little longer while trying to learn all there is to know about the QA field. This is one of the places where “Our patience will be rewarded”.
- It is also interesting that we testers are paid to disbelieve in a product. Nothing malicious of course. We intend to find problem areas before the users do – which can be achieved only when we know the intricacies of the software product to the maximum extent. If this is not an application of knowledge, then what is?
- The next step to uncovering shortcomings with software is to delve a little deeper. Root Cause Analysis – this means we not only report an issue, but we also analyze the issue by applying the knowledge gathered from our experiences and figuring out the possible reason for the issue. This is the value-add we testers should aim to achieve.
Myth #2: Limited Scope for Learning
- Testing is not a haphazard activity. It needs a lot of planning, strategizing, understanding of technology, time management, and also the not-so-obvious aspects like understanding the software’s ease of use, market relevance, performance, etc. The uniqueness is that a tester gets to have a 360-degree view of the software from all angles – thus Domain Knowledge expertise, expertise on best practices in the software development process, and technical know-how are some of the additional areas we will have a good grip on.
- Continuous learning is the key to success in any field. This is true of testing too. We could choose to move forward towards performance, Automation, Security, Database, or any other testing methods that are so much more technical. Or we grow in our careers as Business Analysts, Technical Writers, sometimes Project Managers, etc. because of our process application, management expertise, and business orientation.
- A major part of our job description is to collaborate with the other project teams, present/facilitate various meetings, and create process documents/reports, etc. This is a wonderful opportunity to practice communication skills, in the form of writing and effectively presenting information.
Myth #3: Tester Gets No Credit for the Final Software Product
- Quite the contrary, the testing team’s opinion of whether a product goes live or not is final. We get to play God in this case. 🙂
- We also have a unique opportunity to suggest changes/improvements to make the product better. This is because according to us – “A missing requirement/enhancement is also a defect”.
- There is no prejudice in the industry against any team that contributes positively to a software product. Our efforts do not go unnoticed and to think that they would is simply inaccurate.
Myth #4: Developers are Paid More Than Testers
- Not true – pay rates are equivalent.
- All entry-level professionals are paid the same (irrespective of what discipline they belong to).
- Moving further along in your career, the pay depends on factors like – your previous pay, your experience in the relevant field, the new position’s expectations, the financial situation of the new employer, the current market demand, etc.; not on the branch of IT that you work in.
Note: Not to forget that ambition and aptitude are critical drivers. Some of us want to excel in certain fields and have set certain goals for ourselves. If those goals happen to fall outside of the Software Testing field, then so be it. We wish you the best in your pursuit.
We hope that the above myth-busters will reassure those of us who have been plunged into the testing field accidentally or unavoidably that this is certainly not a dead-end but a fork in the path toward a bright future. This might be one of those accidents to be thankful for.
Conclusion
We hope that this article has put to rest some of the common rumors that have been going on in the IT circles about the QA community 🙂
Be a tester if you believe in QA!!
It’s an amazing job to do and you are going to enjoy it and love it. Don’t forget that you are paid to improve the quality of the end product and for your excellent skills.
Believe in yourself and your work and accept the challenge. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea
As we mentioned at the beginning of the article, we hope this post will be a good initiation for a long, productive, enlightening discussion on the subject in the comments. Come on, let’s hear it.
We would love to hear from you. In the comments, let us know how many of you are accidental testers and how you like the QA field now. Do you agree with our list and explanations?
Other myth or a mindset from developers point of view:
Testers cannot understand architecture and technical details
Good , Seen efforts taken for..
I am glad to see positive response from all you. Thanks for taking out time to read and appreciate this.
Please feel free to throw questions at me through this forum.
I had posted 2 more articles in past on this site. Sharing those links here, please take a look:
Softwaretestinghelp.com/does-quality-assurance-remove-need-for-quality-control/
Softwaretestinghelp.com/achieve-level-5-maturity-for-qa-testing-process/
Looking forward to more responses here.
Thanks & Regards,
Meenal Balajiwale
Thanks for the response everyone.
I am fresher and just joined an MNC recently. I will be trained in testing.This Article has really cleared many things.THANKYOU?
Well draft ! ! QA rocks. . .
Hi there,
Thanks for posting such an information blog on software testing myths and facts. This is the perfect piece of advice that I was looking for, to be honest. We have been into software testing for a couple of years and strive to offer up-to-date knowledge to everyone interested in this realm. It would be an honour if you contribute to our site with your well-researched blogs, tutorial, lab, interviews and news. If you are planning to promote your products, we would be happy to accept up to 9 backlins.
Nice article.. Will share this to few of my colleagues who are really very low being in testing team.
Like this one – “It’s really not everyone’s cup of tea” 🙂
Nice article! It helps me debunk the myth I had as well!!
Hi Team,
nice work, good article, this article is good for junior, who are looking there career in testing field.
great work !!!
Well said – Be a tester if you believe in QA.
“Only we testers know that there is a method to this madness.” <– well said
All roles are important to deliver a software. Now it depends how well you can perform that role.
Though I am a developer I understand how challenging a tester’s job is. I feel presence of these myths prove how organizations are collectively failing to recognize this vertical.
I loved the honesty in these lines.(Note the word long-term 🙂 )-
As long as….you should be good and will not have a long-term negative impact on your career.
An article worth reading for every software professional. Full of conviction, and couldn’t agree more. QA IS an equal contributor to the Project, provided as you rightly say, you have the right vision and maintain an independent perspective from the developer/designer.
Its really nice article! and clears many more things regarding Testing.
Thanks everyone for the overwhelming response.
Please do write to me if any questions/suggestions.
Good one!!
I really like this. “Believe in yourself, your work and accept the challenge. It’s really not everyone’s cup of tea”. Nice article.
Nice article!
Yes, its not everyone’s cup of tea and i can assure everyone that a tester can create as many scenario as no one would have that can exist, we have got the most creative / destructive mind when it comes to testing.. so never under estimate the testers,…
I’m a game tester from last 10 years and this is exactly what is happening. Great article, I hope it helps the others too.
Thanks everyone for positive response. I am glad I could put some useful stuff here.
I have posted 2 more articles on this site in past, please take a look at those too:
Softwaretestinghelp.com/achieve-level-5-maturity-for-qa-testing-process/
Softwaretestinghelp.com/does-quality-assurance-remove-need-for-quality-control/
Looking forward to receive more responses, feel free to put your questions/comments here, I will try to address those surely.
Thanks & Regards,
Meenal Balajiwale