Specifically, QA QC jobs require that technicians or an QA QC engineer use the software as an ordinary "non industry" individual would, so that bugs are discovered and fixed; of course, it would be easy as a quality assurance technician to simply work around these bugs, since this person would have the knowledge to do so, but the entire purpose of doing this type of quality assurance work is to make the software bug free for ordinary individuals who don't have this type of knowledge.
What Job Responsibilities Exist In QA QC Jobs?
A quality assurance tester or QA QC engineer is going to initially consult with the maker of the software so as to understand what needs to be done to test it. Either in a group setting or by him or her, the quality assurance tester is going to set up a testing plan based upon what was discussed during the initial meetings. Then, the tester uses the software being tested, using every function possible and actively looking for problems in terms of bugs, reliability, performance problems, or other failures. As the tester works his or her way through the program, he or she keeps track of problems found, as well as general outcomes of the testing itself. These problems are then communicated to the software maker or client, and in some cases the tester may also make recommendations to "debug" the software or other things that should be done to make the software better.
Education Necessary
These types of QA QC jobs don't require a four year degree to be a tester, although the tester must certainly be very experienced in computers in general, including languages, platforms including C++, and Java. Although it's possible to get this type of degree by enrolling in a computer science program at a college or university, "real world" experience may also suffice, as can an associate's degree in computer sciences as well. One can also receive certification as a software tester through the Quality Assurance Institute. In contrast to a quality assurance technician or tester, a QA QC engineer must receive an engineering degree from a four-year university.
Salary and Job Outlook
Many QA QC jobs are very lucrative, and can earn quality assurance technicians as much a $70,000 a year. Quality assurance technicians can work on staff at a company or organization, or can be independent contractors and specifically contract out to clients for this type of work. In addition, because the world of computers and software is continually growing and changing, job outlook as well is very good, with quality assurance jobs within the software publishing industry expected to grow by 32%, almost three times faster than any other industry.
