Software Developer to QA Engineer — An Unconventional Transition

Software Developer to QA Engineer — An Unconventional Transition

Why did I leave my attractive Software Developer job to become a QA Engineer?

I worked as a software developer intern at Microsoft during my junior year, got placed at Oracle during my final year, and spent around 1 year being a software developer at this tech giant sounds like a dream come true to every computer science graduate, but I willingly requested a shift to become a QA🕵️‍♀️.

Read on to find out why.

Working with big tech companies like Microsoft or Oracle is a dream for everyone. Every other person working in IT aspires to become a developer someday. Having the combination of both experiences, I would say I was fortunate enough to have a great start to my career despite Covid times.
However, I wanted to expand my areas of expertise and wanted to learn something different rather than coding day in and day out.

If you have read my previous blogs, you would know that I always wanted to become a Product Manager. Without having an MBA degree, becoming a Product Manager requires a lot of experience in the industry and even more hard work. After multiple discussions with people from different roles and backgrounds, I wished to pursue the path of acquiring knowledge as a QA, which would then set the foundation for me to become a Product Manager.

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I had conversations with so many people from different backgrounds:
- A seasoned Product manager who did an MBA and entered Product Management
- A software developer turned Product Manager (without an MBA)
- A QA Engineer turned Product Manager
- A Hotelier turned QA Engineer turned Product Manager
- A Customer Support Engineer turned Product Manager
- A software developer turned QA Engineer turned Product Manager (without an MBA)
- A software developer turned Product Manager (with an MBA)

After collecting insights from all of these different individuals, in this blog, I’ve covered all the pros and cons of being a QA Engineer and how it would positively impact my aspiration of becoming a Product Manager.

From Code Creator to Bug Buster:

Let’s dive into the high-fives and hurdles this transition could possibly have!

High-fives:

- Usually, a software developer gets to work on a feature that was decided by the Product Manager. Well, being a Software Developer is no easy job, but mostly he/she does not have any say in the feature developed. A Product Manager might have researched so much in the background and talked to multiple different customers before he/she can decide upon even a small change in the product, be it a checkbox, or even a text for that matter. So, a Product Manager has better knowledge about the product itself than a Software developer.

A QA Engineer will have equally good knowledge about the product because he/she has to test multiple different areas of the product and understand its impact and thus they are the ones who will ensure the quality. Though a Product Manager has a very good knowledge of the Product, it’s the testing skills of QA that come in handy to make sure that the product doesn’t break at any cost which contributes to the quality of the product and better customer satisfaction.

- A QA Engineer will be handling multiple tasks a day, similar to a Product Manager. Like how a Product Manager communicates with Developers, Designers, and Customers, a QA Engineer will also have to communicate with different people in the team to understand how a product can break and how we can ensure its quality. Having this experience as a QA will help when deciding the adjustments to a Product.

- Like a Product Manager, a QA will also have to do a lot of documentation work, like the test design, scenarios, and test cases. This results in documentation experience which is a very important skill for a Product Manager.

- The deadly combination of having experience as a Software Developer, QA, and Product Management would be unbeatable. I have had quite a good amount of experience as a Developer and it’s been quite some time since I started working as a QA. And I’m already learning so much about the product I’m working with. This will be a great foundation for me when I become a Product Manager.

Hurdles:

- Before shifting to a different job role, try to talk to the person who decides the compensation and job expectations. Most of the companies offer a slightly lesser package to the QA Engineers when compared to the Software Developers of the same level. Sort that out before you make a decision.

- The job of a QA Engineer is equally demanding as the job of a Software Developer. So, be ready to spend some of your entire nights.

- If you like to deepen your expertise, rather than widening your experience, QA might not be the role for you. And even the role of a Product Manager might not be the right fit for you if you would like to just go deep into learning something.

This is my critical reflection…

It’s been around 3 months since I started as a QA and I’m already having a great time learning more about the product. If you would like to become a Product Manager too, QA might be a good choice for you as a start. But ponder over many other things as well. Your company’s QA structure, compensation, growth, willingness in your career aspirations, opportunities for QA in the company, etc, before making a switch. What worked for me might not work for you. But your hard work and perseverance will take you to the place you deserve.

If you would like to discuss more about this, connect with me over LinkedIn and we can have a quick chat.

The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.

So, keep working and you’ll enjoy success.

Author: S R Harinya Devi

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