Software Quality Assurance Testers
Overview
Introduction
Software quality assurance testers, also known as software quality assurance analysts, examine new or modified computer software applications to evaluate whether or not they perform as intended. Testers might also verify that computer-automated quality assurance programs function properly. Their work entails trying to crash computer programs by punching in certain characters very quickly, for example, or by clicking the mouse on the border of an icon. They keep very close track of the combinations they enter so that they ca...
Quick Facts
Median Salary
Employment Prospects
Minimum Education Level
Experience
Skills
Personality Traits
Earnings
Software quality assurance analysts had median annual earnings of $68,500 as of September 2020, according to Salary.com. Salaries ranged from less than $54,745 to $84,166 or more annually. Workers with many years of technical and management experience can earn higher salaries. The Department of Labor reported median earnings of $90,920 as of May 2019 for computer systems analysts, a category th...
Work Environment
Quality assurance testers work in computer labs or offices. The work is generally repetitive and even monotonous. If a game is being tested, for example, a tester may have to play it for hours until it finally crashes, if at all. This might seem like great fun, but most testers agree that even the newest, most exciting game loses its appeal after several hours. This aspect of the job proves to ...
Outlook
The U.S. Department of Labor predicts that employment for computer analysts in general will grow 7 percent, faster than the average for all jobs, through 2029.
In the early days of the computer industry, software companies could make big profits by being the first to introduce a specific kind of product, such as a word processor or presentation kit, to the marketplace. Now, with so many ...