Hello all,
We’ve just published an article on ways in which those who are interested in Software testing can break into the industry. You can read the article here: https://dojo.ministryoftesting.com/lessons/how-to-break-into-software-testing
A lot of this is based on opinion and experience so I would like to hear stories from other mentors / Club contributors about how they got into testing and what activities they felt helped them. Also if anyone has any questions feel free to ask in this thread.
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I became a tester kind of by accident. I’d worked as a dev and in support roles when I decided to do a Masters in Information Management - kind of but not related. Anyway half way through my MA we had a talk by some government types about roles available - yes I almost became a super secret spy…no. Anyway, it got me thinking. I was still working in IT Support to fund my MA and it’s generally pretty quiet on Fridays. So I started to play, I may have caused the odd issue as I pushed some boundaries and I discovered I had a knack for testing. It wasn’t necessarily in any particular fashion, I had little rhyme or reason, but I knew where to poke and I was always asking What If.
I decided I was done with that job and needed a new challenge (still studying pt). I went hunting in IT sections and spotted testing. Decided I would be good at that, as I kind of was doing it already. I applied to a few testing roles and got interviews! They went well and I went with a company that fit me the most and was interested in allowing me space to train. I ended up a solo tester for about 4.5years before I moved to a different company but it was the best fun - that’s when I discovered MOT and STC. I’ve been to every TestBast in Brighton since and only recently stopped being a tester officially after about 6 years! (I may still get bored and poke stuff).
So very much something I fell into and didn’t realise for a while that it was a full-time job I could have, even though I’d worked in the IT industry for about 3/4 years prior!
My tip - don’t be afraid to try it. Go for the interviews, you’ll have transferrable skills. Read all the things, take the courses. Risk it for a biscuit!
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