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How to become a QA Engineer

  • Publish Date: Posted about 2 years ago
  • Author:by VANRATH

​A Quality Assurance Engineer is an IT professional whose activities are aimed at improving the software development process. A QA Engineer aims to detect errors and prevent defects from occurring again before a product launches. Their skills and expertise are required across many industries in Northern Ireland including Media, Fintech, Cyber Security and Legal Services to name a few.

In this blog, we highlight the role of a QA Engineer to help you decide whether a career in this field is for you.

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What does a QA Engineer do daily?

In summary, the role of a QA Engineer is to ensure that software development is being done correctly. Below we share a list of typical tasks that you can expect to do as a QA Engineer.

  • Reviewing quality specifications and technical design documents to provide timely and meaningful feedback to software development teams;

  • Creating comprehensive and well-structured test plans and test cases;

  • Planning and coordinating quality testing activities;

  • Execute test cases, identify bugs, and track and prioritise bugs;

  • Work closely with the development team to ensure optimal test coverage;

  • Reproduce production bugs and validate bug fixes;

  • Collaborate with product managers, UI/UX designers, QA, and DevOps administrators;

  • Build Automation frameworks and Automate test cases as much as possible.

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What qualifications do I need to pursue a career as a QA Engineer?

A degree isn’t necessarily required but historically employers have looked to employ candidates who have a BS or MS degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or another related subject.

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What skills and attributes do employers typically look for?

  • A sound QA Engineer will be a highly organised individual who can manage their priorities all whilst having an eye for attention to detail.As well as the core skills and attributes, employers will typically look for candidates who have;

  • Experience testing and automating tests across different platforms;

  • Proficiency with at least one scripting languages: Java, JavaScript, C#, Python;

  • Experience using bug tracking software such as Jira;

  • Experience with API Testing via Tools such as Postman;

  • Desire and ability to learn new technologies quickly;

  • Experience working in a DevOps environment; Git, Azure DevOps, CI/CD Pipelines;

  • Experience using Agile/Scrum development methodology.

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What can I expect to earn as a QA Engineer?

QA Engineers in the early stages of their career can expect to earn between £25,000 - £35,000. As you gain more experience and progress in your career, your earnings will likely increase. At present, QA. Engineers with 5 to 10 years of experience can earn between £35,000 - £55,000 whilst Engineers with Automation experience can expect to earn up to £80,000.

Please note, we have provided these figures as a guideline only.

If you want to kick start a career as a QA specialist, please get in contact with our consultants and check out all our current opportunities here!