Hi everyone. Iām currently a software customer service engineer with average skills, and Iām desperate to leave customer service. Iāve been considering a switch to QA manual testing because it sounds really exciting to me. One of my traits that I believe would be very useful for this path is my āattention to detailā as Iām also a painting artist for hobby.
However, a friend in IT warned me it might be more toxic than my current job. He mentioned that missing bugs could lead to criticism or even being yelled at by managers.
Is this a common issue in QA, or is it manageable? Any advice or insights would be really appreciated.
It really depends on the environment. Some companies are respectful to testers, give them space, trust and responsibility, and the teams are generally friendly towards testers and make good use of them. Others are awful, and use testing as a gatekeeper for quality so they can shout at them later because the processes they force testers to use have failed and place the blame on the people instead, sometimes using disprovable metrics to āproveā them to be at fault.
Because of the history behind testing testers are sometimes seen as second-class, or just there to check facts for developers. They can be seen as unnecessarily expensive because nobody permits them to do valuable work, or as people who bring embarrassing news to developers. More modern testing ideas are often more flexible, supportive and, most importantly, realistic.
This isnāt everywhere, but itās worth knowing about because itās not impossible that youāll meet some flavour of these ideas during your testing career. Knowing how to deal with that, and learning about why testers are valuable, how to support your team to make them look and feel good without becoming a doormat, and how to explain your own value become very useful. You may need to overcome assumptions about your abilities and value by demonstrating ability and value.
Good cultures and environments exist. Iād talk to your prospective employer about how testers are treated, how they work with development teams, and so on.
I agree about environment being key, but hereās an empowering perspective: as a tester, you can actually help shape that environment!
Quality is a team responsibility, and a good tester can help transform how testing is perceived. When you bring insights (not just bugs), collaborate with devs (instead of playing āgotchaā), and show how testing adds value early in development - youād be amazed how attitudes shift.
My experience? Teams that initially saw testers as ābug policeā often become our biggest advocates once they see how we help deliver better products, not just point out problems.
Your attention to detail as an artist is a fantastic foundation - youāll spot patterns and inconsistencies others might miss. Just remember: our job isnāt to catch every bug (thatās impossible!), but to help the team understand and manage risks.
The right environment is out there, and you can help create it!
Thank you very much for your responses. I really appreciate it. Regarding experience and skills what do I need to know? Are there any certifications I should pursue? Do I need to learn SQL or some kind of coding? I have very basic knowledge of M365, Azure AD, my companyās software, and a few other basic troubleshooting skills (nothing special at all). Additionally I have almost 3 years of experience in customer service, focusing on cloud and software related subjects.
It depends on the area you live in but ISTQB Foundation is probably the āgo toā for companies. Not saying itās great but itās what mostly required to get interviews.
No, itās not required although it might help! Depending on your project of course.
Eventually youāll open up to more aspects of QA and will see āautomationā perhaps as a possibility, then youāll need to learn to code a bit. Itās not like becoming a developer, itās less advanced.
Hi there! I did the exact same thing as you & went into Testing from CS. I have to say, it was the best thing I ever did! If you have the opportunity to go for it in your current place, definitely do it. You will learn so much & not realise it until later down the line.
Iām still in my ājuniorā phase so to speak, primarily UAT testing & currently learning Javascript to learn automation. There are so many free tools to help get you started & learning the lingo, Iād recommend all the brilliant resources on MOT here & keeping in touch with the community- itās an invaluable resource. Explore online videos & tutorials to get you used to the lingo. Ask questions. Stay interested! Get as much hands on experience as you can, as you simply build upon your knowledge.
Good luck! We all have to start somewhere so ask away
IT DEPENDS
I mean I dunno how to comment on this, it might be true or a lie. Generally speaking, this is the right move if you like it, if you see prospects, if you have what it takes, if you understand the market, etc
Thatās nice but not relevant
yeah, it might or might not
yeah it could or couldnāt but such behavior in general is not professional but you may have such an experience in some teams/companies but itās not common (from my experience)
Not, itās not common, itās manageable
think about other reasons because as is this one isnāt good
think about knowledge, skills, and experience. Such traits arenāt a good foundation for starting a career
just want to emphasize my obsession for the detail