Two of the most viable jobs in the IT industry are software development and testing. Most of the big IT companies get their projects from overseas clients. Then, they have their engineers work on those projects.
It leads to two career paths, namely, software development and software testing. The former looks after coding and testing jobs focus on ensuring that software specifications are followed. On that note, here’s helping you choose between these two career paths.
The role played by developers & testers
Both teams are important for a company, and they cannot get separated from one another. Every project needs to undergo quality testing before its market release. At the start of any project, testers verify specific documents, and their work continues for the entire project.
The work of software development comes much later in the process. Testing jobs require a better understanding of the overall functioning of the software while a developer job needs capability to build and enhance a project. Specific knowledge of the developers about software is commendable.
Required skills
Before getting into further details, let’s look at the required skills for both software developer jobs and testing jobs.
Software Developers
The skills needed for a developer depend on the nature of the said project. The software architects (a senior position) decide the technology stack. So, suppose the architects decide to use a combination of Python, Ruby, C, and Java for the project, they will select the developers who have the skills in these areas.
Software Testers
The skillset needed for testing jobs is completely different. Along with knowledge about software, they need to know about manual and automation tools. They need to understand scripting languages, as well. Software testers write codes too. In complex testing jobs, software testers might write more codes than developers.
The point here is that both development and testing jobs need programming knowledge.
Growth Opportunities
Software development and testing jobs have unique growth paths with several similarities. Developers become module leads, team leads, project leads, project managers, and more based on the company hierarchy.
The testing jobs follow a similar pathway. They become team leads, project leads, project managers, test architects, and so on. There is no reason to believe that testing jobs lack growth opportunities. You can ultimately become a manager in both jobs.
You can look for career transitions in both jobs. For instance, many software developers have successfully become business analysts.
Salary Prospects
It is a fact that a number of companies offer more salary for testing jobs during the initial phase. This will not remain an issue for a long time. Qualified automation engineers earn more than developers with similar experience.
Should you go for Development or Testing?
The choice between development and testing jobs is easier than you think. Software development is the right choice if you love coding. Ask yourself:
- Have you cracked complicated coding problems only for fun?
- Have you been a part of open source projects?
- Have you developed software in your free time only because it felt fun?
If you have never written any code for fun, go for testing jobs. Any stream would work for you in that case. Ultimately, job satisfaction is important. So, do not go for testing jobs if you’re ardent about coding.
At the end of the day, the decision is yours. If you are hardworking and skilled, you’ll excel in both testing jobs and development jobs. So, instead of believing in myths and rumours, do your research. Evaluate the pros and cons of each of the jobs before coming to a decision. It will help you select the right career path.
