That wasn't always the case. Before the days of QA testing software as an industry standard, computer programs that were installed on computers were often "buggy," malfunctioning and even damaging computers or causing them to crash. However, these days, all reputable software developers utilize QA testing software technicians to determine whether or not any bugs exist in new programs so that they can be worked out before those programs are released to the general public.
By the way, this is different than using software that's been contaminated with a virus. That happens, too, but this is a scenario whereby the software itself could potentially malfunction and either damage your computer or simply cause it to crash. Instead, what QA assessment software technicians work to do is to make sure that new software programs are completely "bug free" before they go out to the public so that when you install one in your computer, you can be sure that it's going to function as it says it's going to, and that it's going to be "intuitive" and easy to use.
What do QA testing software jobs entail?
QA testing software jobs are jobs whereby technicians install new programs into computers and then to liberally try to make those programs "crash." To do this, they try to mimic keystrokes consumers would make that could make these programs malfunction. They take very detailed notes about what's happening, including any error codes they get. They then give this information to program developers, who fix the bugs in the programs. Several testing runs are generally done for this type of fixing before a new program is released to the market.
Can anyone become a QA testing software technician?
Actually, this is one of the jobs where you don't need a lot of experience to do it -- and in fact, many computer program developers want QA testing software technicians that don't have a lot of computer experience. That's because "expert" technicians may forget to mimic the keystrokes "newbie" computer users may use it; therefore, they're not necessarily going to hit all of the mistakes and possible malfunction keystrokes consumers can perform. Because developers want to know every possible bug that could be inherent in a new program, they want people who are going to do exactly what new computer users are going to do.
To become a QA testing software technician and to do QA assessment software testing, search job sites and job boards on the Internet to see what's available. In many cases, you can become a freelance QA testing software technician, which means you can work from home.
What qualifications do you need to have for this type of work?
As stated previously, you don't need experience, and in some cases it's actually going to help you get a job if you are a relative computer newbie. However, that doesn't mean this is simply a job that you can take on a lark, with no sense of responsibility. Developers are going to want to know precisely what you did and what error codes you saw when you did certain keystrokes, etc., which means you're going to have to keep very detailed notes. Therefore, you're going to be very detailed, very organized, and be very attentive to what's going on. You're also going to have to be willing to sit in front of the computer working with the same program for hours at a time while you work through its various features to find any malfunctions.
What do you get paid?
Pay varies for these types of things. In some cases, developers simply want to provide you free software in exchange for having you test it; in other cases, you will be paid for what you do. This is a good "freelance" job to have, for example, if you want to eventually get involved in the computer industry and need some experience to put on your resume.
That said, if you do find a niche with QA testing software, it's good to know that this is an industry that has no shortage of need for testers. Because there are always going to be new programs and new versions of programs coming out, QA testing software technicians are always going to be necessary to try to work the bugs out of new software. Therefore, once you do find a job in QA assessment software testing, you can be pretty assured of steady work for the foreseeable future.
