When you undertake QA/QC jobs you are responsible for determining whether or not products or services will meet or exceed the expectations of the consumer. Commonly, this is done by going through the steps of the PDCA model. This model was developed by Dr. W. Edwards Deming and stands for ''plan, do, check and act.'' Some QA/QC jobs will involve all of the steps while undertaking a position, while positions with some larger companies can mean a specialization of possibly only one of them. Regardless, this seems to be an opportunity where you can have quite a bit of fun in obtaining your objective.
While this position will provide you with enjoyment, it is also one that demands a great degree of detail. Anyone who is successful in this industry must take detailed notes of anything and everything regarding the product or service that they are reviewing. It is up to you to find even the minutest detail that would lead to a negative impression by the consumer.
Take a look at some of the fields in quality assurance to see what can be the perfect fit for you:
- Food Quality Assurance
This is a great career choice for people who enjoy both producing and eating great food. This job encompasses a wide variety of aspects in food preparation, hygiene, and production. You will be responsible for not only visiting production plants and testing individual components, but also for checking the final product.
- Tester
A tester is one of the most integral parts of the model and this is a chance where you really get to have some fun. Depending upon the field you enter, you are in for a wild ride. Becoming a video game tester will allow you to pursue your childhood dreams and spend each and every day playing video games. Of course this is still a job and you are going to have to find the facts and challenges that would result negatively in the sales of the games; but this is still a great way to earn a living.
One more industry to consider when thinking of fun-filled testing is the automobile industry. Testers are of vital importance to the success and safety of the product. Not only that, but the job can be a lot of fun. This job could allow you to put the pedal to the metal—literally. Your job is to test each and every facet of the car not only for performance, but for safety as well.
There are many more fields to consider. Maybe you find science or engineering exciting; think of the field and quality assurance is a part of it. All you have to do is take a look at the model and decide which facet of it interests you the most and you will be able to pursue QA/QC jobs in that area.
As with any profession, you should do the proper research to make sure you have the background and skill set needed for this field. An education is a huge part of a successful quality assurance professional. Not only obtaining a degree in your field, but also taking any specialty classes required to become completely knowledgeable in your selected niche.
After going through that process, it is time to scan the job boards and look at the specific opportunities available. When you are first entering the field you will more than likely have to take an entry-level job, but a lot of these are great opportunities to have fun and gain a great working knowledge of your industry. It is one of the few industries where an entry-level position will expose you to some of the same job duties you will have in much higher level positions later in your career.
A career in quality assurance is a great choice in today's world. A poor economy makes consumers much pickier about where and how they are spending their money. Companies today are spending more and more money ensuring that consumers will not be disappointed with the products that they are receiving. It is much less expensive to catch faults and fix them before your product ever hits the market than it is to release something defective and have to recall it, or worse yet, ruin the reputation of your company. That is where you come in as a QA/QC worker, to make sure that items not only meets but exceeds expectations. Now pick your field and go have some fun.
