Many manual testers have a point in their career where they want to move into automated testing. Making this jump can change your career, but it won’t happen without motivation and hard work. The transition can be difficult, but it is very rewarding.
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The industry is changing
While manual testing used to be the norm, many software companies are jumping into fully automated testing except when manual testing is still necessary. You may be asking yourself what is automation testing? It’s important to know before jumping into a new career.
Automation testing uses testing tools and test scripts to compare data outcomes. There are several different types of automation testing and they are becoming more and more popular.
Having the skills to do manual testing and automated testing can give you more job prospects and increase your salary. Companies used to have to purchase expensive software packages in order to incorporate automated testing into their company.
Automated testing tools have now become mainstream and are usually pretty affordable. More and more businesses are now setting up automated testing, while still having some functionality testing that requires manual testing.
Having skills in both can make you open to new jobs at more companies.
More opportunities
Many IT departments will hire manual testers and then separate automated testers. If the company you work for has an automated department, ask them if you can begin getting some training or working a certain percentage of your hours switching between departments.
This will allow you to get your foot in the door. You might also have to create opportunities for yourself. Practicing automated testing at home is possible, even if you just do it a few hours a week. This will show any employer or company that you are motivated.
Ask people you know who have made the switch how they did it and if they can offer you any advice.
Learning new skills
As with any new job, you will learn new skills. One of them will need to be coding to successfully switch to automated testing. This can be hard if you have been in traditional testing for a while and are set in your manual ways.
However, learning to code is necessary and a big commitment. Research and training can be found online, even for free. Having coding skills will also open a wider range of tech jobs for you.
More efficient processes
Automated testing can help any company mainstream its processes and take away systems that are prone to human errors. Giving companies and businesses advice on how they can move forward with automated testing can allow businesses to hire you for your advice and services.
Combining your skills
Getting into the automated testing field also lets you combine skills you already have to be the most successful you can be. While technical skills are necessary, many skills required are not directly related to IT.
You will need to have strong time management skills, good communication skills, a passion for testing and coding, and an attitude that is willing to keep learning as the industry grows.
Automated testing will increase your test management tool skills. The software testing process is more likely to fail if there are not proper test management techniques.
Always practice the tool of your choice or the tool the company uses before an interview or first day on the job. You will need to have hands-on experience and already have developed some basic testing skills to get hired.
Try and master a tool before moving onto another one.
