What is importance of software testing?

Testing shouldn't be seen as an inhibitor to development, but there's always been a misconception that it is that, a barrier to delivery of new features. However I beg the question of what would happen without any sort of testing. Just imagine the CrowdStrike scenario of 2024 happening on a frequent basis. This could be the destructive effects of having little to no testing.

I believe by applying the correct testing strategy, putting in quality controls to be built-in from the start, this allows testing to be a driving force to accelerate development by ensuring that problems don't arise in the future for users of your product. You will also reach high customer satisfaction because by putting in strategies to improve the quality of the product and well tested, you give the customer confidence that the product is reliable, functional, and usable to them.

Why did I choose software testing as a career path?

Software testing may seem like a profession that is overlooked and underappreciated. The majority of people don't get into the tech industry to be a good tester, they usually prefer to be a developer. So why did I choose software testing as a career path? 3 reasons:

1. A Broader "Generalist" Perspective

Software testers have a unique perspective. From an development perspective, we are a bit like "outsiders" with a critical distance from the product. Although you may not be the person who built that amazing feature that millions of users can get their hands on in a click of a button, alot of satisfaction can be gained by ensuring the customer is happy and meets their expectations. As a tester, you also have exposure to a much broader perspective of the product. This gives you a better perspective what sort of use cases and different experiences the user may go through when buying your product.

2. Customer Satisfaction and Risk Mitigation

By understanding the customer deeply, testers act an early voice on behalf of all customers who will use it. You can help drive critical product decisions by voicing reasons for concerns about issues the customer will experience in the product. If you get thrilled and interested in experimentation, how things work under the hood, or have an itch to make the customer happy with their purchase, then the testing profession may be just for you!

A tester's primarily duty is to gather information about the deep capabilities of the product, and exposing defects to help mitigate risk for the customer.

This is a very important quality for those with a testing role or knack for testing. Rather than accepting the reality in the way it was constructed, those with a strong testing trait can explore possibilities, and think outside the box to uncover inconsistencies for improvement, constructing an even better reality!

3. Testing Accelerates Development

When I realized I enjoyed automating things and the creativity of being a tester by understand ways in which the product worked (and how it breaks!), it struck a great balance between my curious nature but also wanting to be hands-on in having a voice in driving quality of the product. I also realized by incorporating good testing practices and adopting them in the development team, this would help improve the lives of developers and product managers by putting down processes and tools to accelerate the speed of development. If you can identify and automate any tasks that impact developer velocity, try to do it!

These are the reasons why I found sofware testing and quality engineering an enjoyable career path to be in.

Thanks for reading about my thoughts on software testing as a profession!

Glen