Almost every day I get calls from potential trainees who want to learn software testing from me. They are from diverse backgrounds. Some are still students, some are engineering graduates fresh out of college, some are working in BPOs, some are married females once studied engineering – got married – kids – and now wants go back to work, some are from other non-IT job profiles. I am a choosy teacher. So I ask lot of questions before taking someone into my training program. The first natural question is why he or she wants to join or learn software testing. The most common answer I get is “software testing is easy compared to programming” or “it is the easiest way to get into IT industry.” Oh crap. Software testing is not easy. At least I think so. Also it is not the easiest way to get into IT industry.

Why do these guys feel that software testing is easy? Four reasons I feel are responsible for this kind of wrong opinion on software testing. One – since we don’t do coding as a part of our everyday job, software testing is an easy task. Two – the product development managers will put their worst coders into testing. Three – HR guys will take anyone into testing when the market is hot. Remember 2006-2007? Every other guy got into testing during that period in India. Four – last but not the least – Testers are responsible for making non-testers feel that testing is easy.

Today how many of us feel proud being associated with testing? Most of us were forced into testing. Very few people are testers by choice. Few testers like me who are testers by choice do not educate non-testers that testing is not everyone’s cup of tea and it is not that easy how they think it is like. Testing requires skills, thinking beyond the limit programmers can think, ability to see beyond obvious, rapid learning, mental and visual sequencing ability, building up scenarios that may happen with the product and passion for investigating into details.

I heard this someone saying. Don’t remember who said this but agree fully to this opinion. Don’t separate product team into developers and testers. It should be programmers/ coders and testers because testers are also developers, contributing to the product development process. We testers are no less skilled than our programmer friends. Sometimes we are little more skilled than them and that’s why we catch the mistake they make.

Don’t let testers be the 2nd class citizen of product development. Arise and educate the ignorant crowd surrounding you. That is the message I want to convey in this 6th edition of Testing Circus. Jai Ho Testing!

– Ajoy Kumar Singha

 

Ajoy Kumar SinghaAjoy's EditorialsAlmost every day I get calls from potential trainees who want to learn software testing from me. They are from diverse backgrounds. Some are still students, some are engineering graduates fresh out of college, some are working in BPOs, some are married females once studied engineering – got married...