!!!! Making a career in Automation Testing !!!!

Introduction:

The IT industry emerged to be a popular and glamorous career choice in recent times. More and more individuals who have not been in the field want to try their hands at it. This is great, because technological inclination, fairly good pay, global outreach, challenging positions and scope for innovation are few plus-s of an IT career.

In today’s technology-driven world, almost every organization (whether it be a startup or any big tech giant) is trying to automate its core functioning or work processes for enhancing efficiency and productivity. Indeed, from Designing to Development or from Management tasks to Business Processes, Automation is setting up its space in almost every single domain. And in a similar context – here comes the Automation Testing domain!! Automation Testing is replacing traditional Manual Testing practices by making tedious testing tasks more efficient and convenient. And if you’re considering making a career in the Testing field, then Automation Testing will be a great move for you!!

What is Automation Testing ?

Automation Testing is concerned with the process of using various tools and software to create test cases and their execution by considering pre-defined actions. In comparison with the Manual Testing process, Automation Testing offers numerous worthwhile benefits such as less time-consuming, better performance, less operational costs, scalability, and many more. Statistically, the Automation Testing market is all set to reach around $30 Billion by the year 2024 and the demand for highly skilled Automation Professionals is rising rapidly in the tech world.

roles & responsibilities of an Automation Tester

• Brainstorming ideas for new testing procedures

• Managing existing QA automation testing and implementing new tests

• Reviewing automated testing reports

• Working with software engineers and designers to solve any issues identified by testing

• Writing reports based on test findings and maintaining accurate documentation

• Conducting tests and developing solutions based on business objectives and client requirements

How to make a career in Automation Testing?

Meanwhile, there is not any strict eligibility criteria or academic requirements to get into Automation Testing. However, if you’re having an academic background in a particular domain such as Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science / Information Technology, etc., it’ll be quite helpful for you as it’ll not only make you familiar with the fundamentals and underlying mechanism of the particular field but will also help you to get some ravishing career opportunities. Moreover, if we talk about the technical skills or hands-on experience or anything else required for becoming an Automation Testing Professional, below we’ve provided a thorough roadmap that covers all the approaches to make a worthwhile career in Automation Testing

CREDENTIALS THAT CAN HELP START YOUR CAREER

• Take a Software Boot Camp

Coding boot camps can be a great alternative to college for those that don’t want to pursue a

degree. Instead of spending four years in college, you can spend less than a year learning the practical skills you need to get an entry-level position.

• Software Testing Certifications

Earning a certification is another way to stand out from a pool of applicants and gain the skills that you need for the job. These certifications may take around the same time to complete as a coding boot camp or longer, depending on your specific program.

GET PROFICIENT IN PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES

If you’re considering that Coding or Programming skills are not essential for getting into Automation Testing then you’re entirely wrong!! Indeed, you’re required to have a sound knowledge of Programming Languages and their respective programming concepts. It will make you comfortable with various crucial jobs for Automation Testing such as Unit Testing, Task Automation, Code Review, and many more. Meanwhile, you can start with several most demanding programming languages such as C/C++, JAVA, Python, Perl, etc., and can learn these languages from various online or offline resources.

UNDERSTANDING AUTOMATION TESTING CONCEPTS

• Defining the scope of Test Automation

• Picking out the relevant Automation Tools

• Development of Test Plan, Design & Strategy

• Setting Up of Test Environment

• Development & Execution of Automation Test Script

• Test Analysis & Generating Test Reports

GET FAMILIAR WITH AUTOMATION TOOLS

You’re required to practice these tools as much as you can and know about their functionalities, specifications, limitations, etc. to gain the utmost exposure. The hands-on experience with Automation Testing Tools will help you to get some in-depth knowledge of the testing domain that you might not get from reading theory or attending lectures. There are numerous Testing Automation tools such as Selenium, TestComplete, Appium, etc. that can be taken into consideration. Furthermore, apart from core automation testing tools, there are several other worthwhile tools as well for Defect Tracking, Test Management, and other crucial tasks.

Now, let’s take a step forward and discuss several relevant and prominent certifications for Automation Testing that you can opt for to assess your skills & knowledge and for getting an edge over others during recruitment. Some of the most-preferred certifications for Automation Testing are – ISTQB Test Automation Engineering Certification, Certified Software Testing Engineer (CSTE), ICAgile Certified Professional in Agile Test Automation (ICP-ATA), etc. Additionally, there are a few most-recommended books provided below to help you in preparing for these certification exams and make your learning journey more convenient:

• Software Test Automation – Effective Use of Test Execution Tools

• Just Enough Software Test Automation by Bruce A. Posey and Daniel Mosley

• The Agile Samurai by Jonathan Rasmusson

• Complete Guide to Test Automation by Arnon Axelrod

Conclusion:

So, this is a complete roadmap that you need to follow to make a worthwhile career in Automation Testing. And yes, if you’ve already entered into the Testing profession or have a decent career in Manual Testing, you still can follow the above-mentioned approaches to switch over to the Automation Testing field. Indeed, Automation Testing has a remarkable growth and career scope for individuals in the upcoming times!!