In 2018, anthropologist David Graeber published a book called “Bullsh*t Jobs: A Theory.” One of his key ideas in this book is that our job is our primary tool for influencing the world. In a nutshell, we need to be involved in some kind of activity to feel good about ourselves and life. Our jobs make us feel useful, wholesome, balanced, and in the long run – happy. We feel happy when our work is related to helping others and caring.
If you Google the list of the happiest jobs in the world, the result will probably surprise you – the job of a QA analyst comes second after researcher.
Software is an integral part of our everyday lives. We are surrounded by applications on our desktop computers and smartphones, and we literally come across software wherever we go. The job of a QA engineer is to make sure that this software, that we’re all likely to come into contact with at some point during a day, runs as smooth as possible, and to find errors before the user finds them first.
QA engineers also ensure that systems operate and comply with the requirements and regulations set out by developers. And they’re the ones who have to inform the developers about any defects in their software.
All in all, QA testers change our world for the better by making sure we live in a bug-less place.
Alas, it’s not always rosy! There are many different attitudes towards the job of QA engineers. Some people think that it is too monotonous and thus – boring. While others see the profession as something formative and even creative. Indeed, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
However, this profession has been holding its top spot on the list of the happiest jobs by Forbes since 2014. So, it must be doing something right!
Let’s take a closer look to see why QA Engineering is one of the happiest fields to work in and why it’s so attractive to people around the world.
1. Competitive Salary
QA engineering is a well-paying job. Newcomers typically earn about $70,000 a year; and experienced professionals can get up to $100,000 a year. The salary of an Automated QA Testing expert can reach $115,000 a year, and it can occasionally be even more. This is just one of the reasons why many professionals consider it a great profession. Working in IT has a number of benefits – it is an ever growing and dynamic field and this means that QAs can make great progress in the industry. Working in this setting allows you to always be on the go, you’re comfortably well-off, you typically have good working equipment, and are surrounded by aspiring young specialists. This sort of environment and atmosphere is what we all crave for our office!
2. Training Does Not Take Too Much Time
QA engineering is a prospective area, and the demand for QAs does not cease, which means that you can still enter the brave new world of testing. For example, Manual QA can be learned in a month and you’ll know so much information that you’ll be able to get a job to start your career off almost immediately. Testing can generally be studied from scratch, so you don’t need loads of prior knowledge. Many software testing companies offer courses to aspiring professionals. Typically, these aspiring professionals who successfully finish their QA courses are invited to work within the company.
3. The Job Is Not Overburdening
The work of a QA specialist involves; verifying product requirements, performing risk assessments, improving the quality of the product, testing, planning, and analyzing test results. It’s not too demanding or challenging, though. Unlike other office jobs that are often exhausting and can lead to professional burnout. Plus QA engineers rarely have overtime. The work is not stressful and the deadlines are hardly ever-pressing – which in turn can limit the amount of stress experienced by the QA engineers.
4. Good Career Opportunities
After gaining experience in QA, you can try other areas within the IT field, for example, QA Automation. Sure, learning automated testing and working in this area requires deeper technical knowledge, but nothing is impossible. Another option is to develop yourself in the business analytics area or programming, you could even try your hand at being a project manager. IT is a very promising profession– perseverance and persistence will win the game for you.
5. It Is Affordable
Sure, a QA engineer has to learn the basics of testing. The knowledge of test classification, methods, tools, and test scripting, is necessary, and it is usually acquired through the completion of courses, along with learning other useful skills. Typically, universities do not offer degrees in QA engineering, although it can be learned as part of a syllabus on some IT courses at university.
Conclusion
The job of a tester is to improve software. QA specialists are like detectives – their mission is to find and eliminate bugs. The final product has to meet the requirements of both users and customers. QAs are well-paid, have nice career opportunities, and rarely suffer from professional burnout due to the key features of their work. Moreover, the training is affordable and accessible at any time. A tester is a multifunctional specialist, and companies appreciate good QAs. The possibility of working from home is another obvious advantage of this job.
Your Next Step
Are you interested in becoming a QA specialist? Check out all of our courses at Careerist and start your training right now. Plus, you can complete the training and you only pay for your course when you have a job. There is no need to wait.
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