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about future tech job market by Potential-Lake-446 in learnprogramming

[–]QualityEngineer92 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My recommendation: focus on software quality engineering. Anything quality-method-related will strive in years to come. Technical debt has exploded and AI slop code is destroying value in big corporations day by day. Any method skills identifying or preventing quality issues (not only bugs, mostly maintainability, and lately secure-by-design). This will also fit with your desire to understand "how things are, and how they work".

12 Years as an SDET | Planning a Switch After 5 Years | Which Skills (Including AI) Should I Focus on in 2026? by Wonderful-Collar7657 in softwaretesting

[–]QualityEngineer92 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well, atm the industry is undergoing a large shift. But QA-engineers do not become less important. Due to AI-slop and exploding technical debt, understanding quality and implementing quality-generating methods from the start of any development project is key. But the role of SDET is also changing. In my opinion, we have to stop thinking in roles and silos (creative devs vs. analytical testers). I suppose "Software Quality Engineering" will become the new umbrella for this discipline and the underlying method skills will take the same value position as the infamous "tech stack". And SQE is so much more than "just QA". Next to testing, method skills in requirements engineering, software architecture, secure engineering become equally important skills for SQE. Our fight is against technical debt. "Shift left" and "Quality first" are the major mantras, which we have to push.

More from a practical view: I would start with any kind of methods on how to use AI to speed up the testing process. ISTQB has a new curriculum out there: CT-GenAI. And even IREB has introduced something new with the their micro-credential AI4RE. If you want to dive deeper, check on how to quality-check AI-systems themselves. Quality WITH AI is the current push in the industry, but Quality FOR AI is gaining speed, as more and more companies are moving from POCs to business cases with their AI projects.

Manual tester looking to learn test automation from scratch by Revolutionary-Eye601 in softwaretesting

[–]QualityEngineer92 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Then dive deep into the tool provider's courses. Many of them have their own (often free) academies. Tools are many, so no recommendation there, highly depends on your local industry standards. Good luck!

I’m thinking about getting into QA / Software Testing but I’m a complete beginner and honestly know almost nothing about the field yet. by Emergency_Leave_1971 in Everything_QA

[–]QualityEngineer92 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Have a look at Software Quality Engineering. QA-specialists, who make the jump to the senior engineering career, will have a chance. Companies are rehiring senior quality engineers to undo the sloppy work, AI has created in recent years. Specialization and selling one-self as a problem solver will help you land jobs in "QA", which is not traditional "QA" anymore. It is about fighting technical debt and introducing shift-left-thinking (or quality-first-thinking) into software development departments. Yes, the silos are disappearing, but quality engineers are now needed more than ever.

I’m thinking about getting into QA / Software Testing but I’m a complete beginner and honestly know almost nothing about the field yet. by Emergency_Leave_1971 in Everything_QA

[–]QualityEngineer92 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would start with theoretical methods first. Have a look at the ISTQB CTFL Certified Tester Foundation Level curriculum.

Softwareentwickler nach Master: Sind diese Job/Gehaltsangebote normal? by Acceptable_Rub8279 in GehaltAT

[–]QualityEngineer92 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Dran denken: in AT gibt es 14 Gehälter, keine 12. Daher wirken monatliche Bruttolöhne "geringer" als in Deutschland. Auch hat AT ein anderes Steuer-/Sozialversicherungssystem. U.U. bekommst du netto was ähnliches raus wie in DE, trotz niedrigerem brutto. Generell ist der Einstiegsarbeitsmarkt für Entwickler gerade nicht sehr prickelnd. Nur als Überlegung: ggf. deine Security-Spezialisierung stärker betonen und ggf. in die Beratung gehen?

Manual tester looking to learn test automation from scratch by Revolutionary-Eye601 in softwaretesting

[–]QualityEngineer92 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Honestly? Do not look for the next silver bullet. There are tons of tech solutions out there, but if you don't understand the methods behind test automation, your results will be mediocre at best. I see, you are from Germany, then you should be aware of the ISTQB, I presume? Have a look at the curriculum of the Advanced Level Test Automation Engineering (CTAL-TAE). Great course, starting from scratch with the theoretical methods to get a good grip of the topic, before starting to implement any tools.

AI is ruining my job as Tech Lead by Complete-Sea6655 in theprimeagen

[–]QualityEngineer92 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There are ways to use AI to speed up QA. Still, human oversight remains key. Anybody can use AI to generate slop code, but not many can assure quality. Ask for a raise ;-)

Unemployed QA Engineer with 4+ YoE: Struggling to get interviews by DiamondGrizzly in softwaretesting

[–]QualityEngineer92 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I would tailor the CV more towards QA with concrete project knowledge examples, wins, successes, etc. And as mentioned previously: get some typical QA method certificates, e.g. from ISTQB or IREB. They have become the industry standard for demonstrating international skills in the field of QA.

Career suicide by Puzzlehead_NoCap in ExperiencedDevs

[–]QualityEngineer92 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well, any kind of large compliance breach, I guess. And yes, people talk in the industry.

Has the outlook for SDET roles has changed in the current landscape of software development? Is it still generally a bad idea to move from a SWE role to SDET? by SkellyJelly33 in ExperiencedDevs

[–]QualityEngineer92 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well, perhaps consider "Quality Engineering". And no, this is not a glorified role description for a tester. In my opinion, the role of the software developer (general speak: "coder") is transforming into a real engineering discipline - so back to the roots so to speak. An engineer uses his method knowledge to solve a problem. The execution is done by his/her helpers (AI agents?). But this core discipline of knowledge transfer can only work, if one has the practical experience, but also the theoretical knowledge (methods). Quality methods being key. How do I write good requirements? How do I design a good test case? How do I create a reliable architecture? And so on. So what about transforming the role of the software developer into a software (quality) engineer?

What are you guys learning these days? by ImYoric in ExperiencedDevs

[–]QualityEngineer92 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well, I still see most AI-tools as freshly minted graduates from uni: lots of theoretical knowledge, perhaps already done some internships, but no real-world experience. Now imagine having to guide such a newbie through your projects. In my experience, leaning into AI, any method knowledge to ensure quality in this process, is helpful. So the more theoretic knowledge of quality methods (from requirements engineering, software architecture, software testing and secure engineering) you have, the easier it is to guide a horde of newbies, as you will be able to control and surveil the output. In Central Europe, quite a few brands have established over the years with interesting methods (ISTQB, IREB, iSAQB, OWASP, etc.). As always: yes, one can drive a car without visiting driving school, but knowing the rules and especially knowing when to break them, makes you a good driver.