what is a QA engineer?
Have you ever worked on a project so intensely that you couldn't look at your work objectively? When you stepped back and returned to the project later, you found new solutions and errors that you'd missed. QA engineers offer this service full-time.
As a QA engineer, you work alongside software developers, testing their programs and identifying glitches throughout the project's lifespan. QA engineers focus on every detail, testing individual lines of code to ensure that they don't miss anything. You'll repeatedly review the software so that you catch small issues before they become major glitches.
In today's mobile age, thousands of people use tablets and smartphones instead of computers. QA engineers ensure that users can access software from various devices without glitches and unexpected shutdowns. With your help, companies can make their products globally accessible.
As a result, you'll potentially save your employer millions of dollars. Untested apps have glitches that deter consumers and lead to poor reviews. Worse still, software with security flaws could leak users' personal information, causing lawsuits and destroying the business's reputation. You'll reduce the risk as much as possible so that your client makes a profit instead of paying expenses.
Would working as a QA engineer suit your technology skills? Then read on to find out what competencies and qualifications you need to thrive in a QA engineer role.
view jobs near youaverage QA engineer salary
QA testers and engineers made an average of $98,220 per year in 2021. While the lowest 10% earned $48,960 per year, the highest 10% reached $153,250. People who worked for software developers made the most, earning $102,090 each year.
Since most QA engineers work full time, you can expect to receive health insurance, retirement plans, life insurance, paid sick days, vacation time, and other benefits. Some businesses compensate you when you travel for work-related purposes. Experienced QA engineers could negotiate for higher salaries and benefits.
Sometimes, you don't need to negotiate. The hiring manager sees your resume and immediately offers you a higher rate before another company grabs you. Still, research the average QA engineer salary in your region to make sure that they pay you a fair amount.
Your employer might give you overtime hours when you're working on a large project or dealing with an emergency. Most states require hourly workers to receive overtime pay. However, some salaried workers aren't eligible, so research your state's laws before you sign up. You don't want to work for a company that underpays you.
Wondering what you can earn as a QA engineer? Find out immediately with the salary comparison tool! You can quickly and easily see what the average salary of a QA engineer is.
types of QA engineer
QA engineers can have different job titles, including Quality Assurance Analyst (QA Analyst), Product Assurance Engineer, Software Quality Assurance Engineer (SQA Engineer), and Software Test Engineer. These titles require the same basic skills but may have different responsibilities.
If you do well, you could earn a supervisorial title, such as Quality Assurance Director (QA Director). You'll guide your team to follow procedures, perform accurate tests, record their findings, and help developers polish their software. Essentially, you're checking their work while they check the software developers' work.
working as a QA engineer
QA engineers bring their expertise to a variety of tasks. Learn more about your potential salary and work environment.
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QA engineer job description
What does a QA engineer do? You'll spend the day testing, debugging, recording data, and presenting your findings. Recording data is essential because it tracks the developers' progress, creates a timeline, and highlights repeat issues. Afterward, developers use your work to repair their projects.
You don't develop apps, but you know enough about them to make accurate assessments. In fact, while it's not required, software development experience stands out on your resume. Either way, your expertise helps you evaluate the type of software involved and target issues common in that genre.
QA engineer job responsibilities include:
- making suggestions during the product design phase
- designing plans for project testing
- scheduling tests according to the project roadmap
- creating testing programs or installing existing ones
- updating old systems
- creating stable testing environments
- documenting procedures and results
Businesses need to reach as many people as possible to make a profit. You'll check for compatibility not just with devices, but also with different networks, programs, hardware, and operating systems. Your work also makes the software functional and accessible. Software doesn't just need glitches to fail: a secure but clunky, inaccessible program still turns off consumers.
Overall, you make sure that the software is ready to use as soon as consumers open the package. Have you ever bought a video game and encountered glitches, requiring you to download an online patch? No one likes that extra work. QA engineers make the customer experience quick, easy, and convenient.
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QA engineer work environment
QA engineers typically work indoors in office settings. Some QA engineers commute to an office to interact with colleagues. Others work from their home office, testing products and submitting their reports online. Many employers offer a hybrid model if you prefer working from home but need to interact with teammates in person.
Early project stages are often the busiest while the QA engineers catch the initial problems and glitches. The number of bugs gradually decreases, but emergencies can strike at any time. For example, you could catch a major glitch a week before the scheduled rollout.
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who are your colleagues?
Your colleagues may include fellow QA engineers, sometimes under different titles, such as QA developer or software engineer. One QA Director might lead your team. You'll work closely with software developers to test their projects and deliver reports. If you're a freelancer, you could have multiple clients at one time. Other colleagues may include office workers, human resource managers, IT professionals, and similar technology experts.
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work schedule
If you're a freelance QA engineer, you set your own hours. You could set hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for yourself or work during nights, early mornings, overnights, and weekends. However, you could need to work unexpectedly if your client faces an emergency, such as a major glitch in the final phase.
Traditional QA engineers have similar outlooks. Your business could give you regular office hours or ask you to take rotating shifts. Since early phases can be chaotic, you could work overtime until the developers start to smooth out the glitches. Larger teams often require less overtime because your colleagues could take over.
Part-time QA engineer positions are rare. Traditional QA engineers work full-time, getting paid holidays, vacation time, and sick leave. Some companies increase your vacation time after you've worked for a certain number of years. Freelancers might not receive paid time off, but your schedule is more flexible.
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job outlook for QA engineer
With thousands of companies releasing new software each day, QA engineers have a positive job outlook. Software doesn't just involve apps and computer programs--it includes training modules, online classes, payment processors, internet browsers and GPS systems. You'll sharpen your skills and learn new techniques as you work on a variety of projects.
As you gain experience, you'll find opportunities to work with more prestigious companies. Manufacturing, software publishing, finance, and computer systems design are some of the most lucrative industries for QA engineers. One day, you could open a freelancing business and set your own salary.
Similar positions include software development architect, JavaScript developer, network security engineer, security analyst, and SQL-server database administrator. As technology expands, you always have opportunities to move to a new field. You'll already have a knowledge base, and online classes give you plenty of training options.
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benefits of working for randstad as a QA engineer
Working through Randstad offers you a range of benefits:
- being paid weekly
- flexibility
- always a contact person you can fall back on and ask for help from
- many training opportunities
- a range of jobs in your area
Want a permanent contract? But you wonder why it would be interesting for you to work with a staffing company? A temporary job as a QA engineer is often a stepping stone to an attractive permanent job. Every year, thousands of people earn a permanent contract with great employers thanks to a temporary job found through Randstad. What's more, many companies recruit their permanent employees through Randstad too!
QA engineer skills and education
To start, pursue a bachelor's degree in a math, science, or engineering field. This degree helps you secure a position while you consider earning your master's degree or doctorate. If you have an associate degree, look for internships while you earn your bachelor's degree to accelerate your learning.
If you want to start right away, university "boot camps" provide your education and degree in a shortened time frame. You'll have to pass your courses in half the time or less, but you'll graduate quickly and start your journey toward a six-figure salary. Plus, college gives you networking opportunities that help you find jobs.
Supplement your resume with certifications, such as Certified Quality Assurance Professional (CQAP). You'll have to meet educational and experience qualifications to take the exams, which cover various aspects of quality engineering. Some employers require certifications for high-value projects. Once you earn a certification, keep track of renewal dates so that it doesn't lapse.
Additionally, learn about new technologies and methods with online courses. Some courses take a month or less to complete and are more affordable than college classes. You can even find free courses, but be sure to verify their legitimacy first.
skills and competencies
QA engineers are expert problem solvers. You calculate risk, identify potential issues, find out what went wrong, and propose changes. While you find obvious problems, you also identify minor bugs that no one would have noticed before the release. Afterward, you document your findings and communicate your solution to software developers, keeping the project moving with as little downtime as possible.
Similarly, QA engineers are detail oriented. If you've ever written code, you've seen how a single mistyped digit could throw off the entire program. Sometimes, the project still works, but users could crash the software by exploiting holes in the code. You study every digit to make sure that everything's in place.
Logic comes naturally to you. QA engineers study challenges step by step to find the correct solution. You look at issues objectively, perform quick math calculations, notice patterns, and easily comprehend lines of code. However, you also use creativity when you consider different ways to improve the design.
Clients rely on your communication skills. You clearly discuss problems and solutions, leaving no room for error, and create organized reports that developers can reference later. Likewise, you respond quickly and professionally to emails and produce informative presentations.
FAQs about working as a QA engineer
Here you will find answers to the most frequently asked questions about QA engineers.
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how much education do QA engineers need?
Important skills for a DevOps engineer include coding and scripting proficiency, knowledge of DevOps tools and technologies, understanding of cloud platforms, system administration and networking expertise, problem-solving abilities, and strong collaboration and communication skills.
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what makes QA engineers different from software developers?
Software developers create the projects, then let QA engineers test them throughout the process to find bugs and glitches. You'll need some software developer knowledge to effectively review their projects, but testing is your main job. Once you've found a bug, you'll help them repair it before moving to the next phase.
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do QA engineers need communication skills?
You'll need strong communication skills to record data, review reports and collaborate with your team, which may include designers, developers, debuggers, engineers, and other professionals. Verbal communication skills are essential because you'll give presentations and discuss the project with your supervisors. Since everyone has different proficiency levels, you'll have to answer questions in ways that everyone understands.
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how do QA engineers find bugs?
QA engineers repeatedly test the software throughout the cycle, looking for glitches, design flaws, security holes, and incompatibilities. You'll install testing programs and keep a record of bug reports and repairs, providing a reference if one issue shows up repeatedly. Sometimes, you'll develop programs that target a specific flaw.
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why do employers need QA engineers?
While software developers closely track their projects and look for bugs, they could miss a minor issue that becomes a major flaw later. QA engineers provide a third-party perspective that developers sometimes lose when they're involved in their work. Since testing software is your job, you'll find every problem and help your colleagues make repairs.
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how do I find a job as a QA engineer?
Applying for a qa engineering job is easy: create a Randstad profile and search our QA engineer jobs for vacancies in your area. Then simply send us your CV. If you do not have a resume, no worries. Just check out our resume builder. This state-of-the-art tool will help you to create your own resume. Need help with your application? Check out all our job-hunting tips!
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