Reports claim that software bugs cost the US economy close to 59.5 billion dollars annually, which makes up for 0.6% of its gross domestic product. In short, it can be safely concluded that software glitches cost Americans a lot of money! When a software is released in the market, it becomes all the more difficult to find the errors and bugs and both the user and the developer pay for these errors. Hence to avoid major losses, there is a dire need for good software testers. Most companies have a separate in-house testing division where they test their products; this is also called a detached testing where a group of individuals who test the company’s products. Companies which cannot afford a separate testing unit have turned to independent software testing providers in offshore locations like India. With the rising demand, beginning your career as a software tester is really worth the effort, as it can be both lucrative and fun. Read on to know all about the courses in software testing that will help you make a career out of it.
Courses In Software Testing
Eligibility
There exist mainly certificate courses in software testing. The length of the duration lasts from 15 days to about a month. A candidate aspiring for a career in software testing should have completed his 10+2 in science from a recognized government educational board. He/she should have also completed his graduation in B.E/ B.tech from a recognized university. Computer science is the preferable choice of subject for a candidate aspiring for a career in software testing. Some knowledge of the popular computer languages is an added incentive. It is truly essential that the candidate has some idea about programming, and is capable of writing simple codes.
Details Of The Course
The certificate courses on software testing include the following modules for study:
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Systems and related Infrastructure Life Cycle Management
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Capability Maturity Models
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Software Quality Assurance and testing activities
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Software Testing: Different Perspectives
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White-box
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Back-box
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Unit Integration
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User Interface Testing: GUI Testing
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Security-Testing
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load testing and stress testing
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volume testing and recovery-testing
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Functionality testing and Help testing
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Preparation of Test Plans
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Test Cases and test data for effective testing
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Automation of testing
Skills Required
It is essential that a candidate aspiring to be a software tester must be adept when it comes to technical skills. However, most organizations also look for people with soft skills too. A person who is adept at both these skills only can be called a true professional. Testers also need to have a lot of perseverance, because if a tester is struck with a bug that is not reproducible at all the instance, then in order to reproduce the bug, he needs to goes through the whole series of steps again and again. Also, as part of a daily routine, a tester needs to collect data about test cases executed and bugs logged. A tester must be able to anticipate a bug that might arise in a software.
Career Prospects
There are plenty of job opportunities available for candidates who have completed a certificate course in software testing. They can join software firms as testing engineer, senior test engineer, quality assurance automation engineer, quality tester, software tester, mainframes testing engineer, quality assurance (QA) lead, QA engineer, senior QA tester, Product QA Engineer and Validation and Verification Engineer. Indian economy thrives on service-oriented software firms, who, in turn, are always on the lookout for people adept in software testing. Some of the major recruiters in this industry in India are Infosys, Tata Consultancy services and Wipro. They are some of the biggest names in the world as far as IT services are considered.
Remuneration
A software testing position, even though not creatively challenging, is still a very lucrative career option. A candidate can expect a salary package from 300000 to 600000 per annum. The pay package varies according to the organization and the project a candidate is part of. Most organizations recruit engineers and give them six months training, in order make them adept in software testing. Therefore, candidates need not opt for certificate courses. However, if they want to break into the industry, a certificate course gives them an added advantage over a regular candidate.
Some Of The Institutes Offering Courses In Software Testing
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National Institute of Computer Systems, Pune , India
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AmitySoft, Chennai, India
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Indian Institute of Software Testing, Chennai, India