Software quality assurance
QA Tester
Getting paid to find what everyone else missed.
Typical pay
$45k-$100k
How you get in
Self-taught or bootcamp; automation skills to advance
Outlook
Manual roles shrinking, automation roles growing
Average openings
63/100Fewer openings per worker than the average job, and the field is growing.
JobPOVs index, calculated from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2025-2035 for Software quality assurance analysts and testers. It measures how many openings arise each year relative to the size of the field — not how many people apply. BLS does not publish a saturation figure.
QA testers verify software works as intended, writing and running test cases and filing defects. Manual testing is the common entry point, and automation is where the pay and job security are.
A day in the life
9:00a – 4:30p · 7 hours 30 min
- 9:00aReview the build and what changed overnight
- 9:30aRun regression tests on the release candidate
- 11:30aFile defects with clear reproduction steps
- 1:00pExploratory testing on a new feature
- 3:00pTriage with developers on a disputed bug
- 4:30pUpdate test cases for next sprint
How to get in
Manual QA entry
Duration
2-6 months
Cost
$0-$2,000
Credential
None — testing fundamentals and attention to detail
- Learn testing fundamentals and how to write a clear defect report
- Practice on open source projects and document what you find
- Apply to manual QA roles, which still hire on aptitude
- Start learning automation immediately — do not stay manual
Automation-first
Duration
6-12 months
Cost
$0-$3,000
Credential
None — a GitHub repo of working test suites
- Learn Python or JavaScript to a working level
- Learn a framework like Playwright, Cypress or Selenium
- Build and publish test suites against real public sites
- Apply directly to SDET and automation roles, skipping manual
QA into development
Duration
1-3 years
Cost
$0
Credential
None — internal track record
- Start in QA and learn the codebase from the testing side
- Write automation, which is real programming
- Take small development tickets when the team allows
- Move to a developer role internally, a well-worn path
What people love
- · Most accessible entry into software
- · No degree strictly required
- · Path into automation, dev or product
- · Remote-friendly
What wears people down
- · Manual QA is being automated away
- · Perceived as lower status than development
- · Repetitive regression cycles
- · Crunch before every release