Is software engineer testing a good career to get into?
Question:
Answer:
I hired entry level test engineers for feature functional and system testing for several years in silicon valley (at a couple of large companies)
Assuming you passed the interview a candidate with a bachelor's degree would get offered around 40-50k
Masters degree 50-60k
Computer Science (not IT), or preferably computer engineering. We'd train you in test methodology tools, processes etc.
I managed test and development groups - in these companies there was very little difference in technical knowledge between programmers and testers.
Here are some sample interview questions:
For testers just out of college:
- What is the responsibility of an operating system?
- What do the following terms mean, examples please
o working set
o pre-emption
o semaphore
o critical path
- What's the largest and most complicated program you wrote that works? Describe it.
- Describe how a page fault is handled. Include both hardware and software.
- If you had to build a new CPU but could only use six instructions, which would you use and why?
For candidates with test experience:
- How do you establish test sufficiency in a test plan?
- Describe each of the following terms:
o Unit Test
o Feature Test
o System Test
o Regression test
o White box testing
o Black box testing
o Use cases
- What is the tester's responsibility to do before submitting a defect report to a developer?
- What was the most challenging bug you found, why?
For managers:
- Describe the complete test life cycle
- What measures and metrics should be used through the test life cycle
- How do you balance your time strategically vs tactically?
- What is the test manager's responsibility in each of the following milestone meetings?
o Proposal
o Investigation
o Code Freeze
o Release Readiness
What educational background do you have, where are you located, and what is your current work experience ? It is possilbe to do certifications part time to get a job in Testing. Its less demanding and in terms of expected degrees/brain power needed than programming roles
i work in the staffing industry and i think it is a good career. there is a current need. as far as salary, that greatly depends on a number of factors including:
location
years of experience
education
industry
current job market
you should check these web sites to see how salary varies
salarysource.com
dice.com
careerbuilder.com
monster.com
good luck finding something you enjoy doing, that will ultimately be what makes something a good career.
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