New To S/W Testing. Need suggestions.

[NANI]

Hi Ankur,

First I would like to appreciate you for your good thought in helping others.

Ankur I have done my B.Tech in CSE. I am planning to get into the software testing field. I don't have any idea regarding S/W testing course.I need some advice from you.There are lot of courses in software testing.So please guide me and help me in knowing the whole course details and also where to start from and which course will suite my education so that i can sustain in this field for a long time.

Please give me some list of good training institutes which you know in bangalore for S/W testing course.

Thanks,
Nani.

[Cpt.Zack]

1) Learn the basic methodologies.
2) Since you are from CSE background, learn some niche skills like , performance testiing, VBscripting, Security testing etc.
3) Dont get into manual testing.

[Tarik Sheth]

Hi NANI,

I do not fully agree with Cpt.Zack because of the following reasons.

1. It is important to know the concepts and develop good understanding on the skills like performance testing, vb scripting, etc.
2. In an organization if there are 500 employees then as per the industry standard
Management:30
Devlopers: 350+
QA Manual testing: 100
QA Automation: 25
Performance tester: 10

You can see manual testing is always on the higher side of value creation to the project.
Moreover Testing it self is an art and not just test case execution
Tools and scripting are learnable skills so if you have understanding of any programming language it will help but if you do not have testing skills then it wont help you to grow.

Some people treat manual testing as aboring and not so recognized task but believe me it is the most important part of the software life cycle after development.

Again growth prospect depends on the organization and individual and not the skill/ technology that one is working.
People who say Manual testing is not so good are the people who do not understand the testing craft.
My advise to you is Just do not be a tool smith but be a skilled tester.

Chekout following Links:
www.satisfice.com/kaner
http://www.satisfice.com/blog/
http://testertested.blogspot.com/

[basanth27]

Hi NANI,

I do not fully agree with Cpt.Zack because of the following reasons.

1. It is important to know the concepts and develop good understanding on the skills like performance testing, vb scripting, etc.
2. In an organization if there are 500 employees then as per the industry standard
Management:30
Devlopers: 350+
QA Manual testing: 100
QA Automation: 25
Performance tester: 10

You can see manual testing is always on the higher side of value creation to the project.
Moreover Testing it self is an art and not just test case execution
Tools and scripting are learnable skills so if you have understanding of any programming language it will help but if you do not have testing skills then it wont help you to grow.

Some people treat manual testing as aboring and not so recognized task but believe me it is the most important part of the software life cycle after development.

Again growth prospect depends on the organization and individual and not the skill/ technology that one is working.
People who say Manual testing is not so good are the people who do not understand the testing craft.
My advise to you is Just do not be a tool smith but be a skilled tester.

Chekout following Links:
http:// www.satisfice.com/kaner/
http://www.satisfice.com/blog/
http://testertested.blogspot.com/

Mr. TarikSeth -
Capt Zack was simply trying to help Nani out with the ideas. Details you provided are a mere hypothetical analysis based on assumptions called "Industry Standards". Let me tell you that nobody adopts these standards, in real world everyone follows their own methods and ways.

Capt zack was correct in guiding a CSE graduate towards the automation arena because of the exclusive learning the candidate must have undergone in the course of study. Would you do Phd and work as a Clerk ? Not sure what your choice is but i would think otherwise.

Morever let me tell you some facts about Automation Vs Manual from the experiences i have gained through in the industry.

Manual testing looks great at the begining but automation comes out from the wild to replace it finally. You cannot replace entire manual testing team but the chances of cut down of a manual team due to automation is 100%.

Lets look at automation. A automation team is always planned with the machine's efforts and minimal workforce. Everyone today operates more towards elimination of man efforts and consumption of more machine efforts.

Take it as a advice from me, Do not live through the illusion of manual testing as one of the greatest achievements you have done. You will soon be sucked towards a "routine" blackhole from which if too late you wont be able to move farther.

- Basanth

[Tarik Sheth]

Basanth,

" Details you provided are a mere hypothetical analysis based on assumptions called "Industry Standards". Let me tell you that nobody adopts these standards, in real world everyone follows their own methods and ways."

Agreed so even in your case the details you have provided is your assumptions and might not be facts for everyone.
Every industry and every company works on their own way. e.g. One can not automate testing a MRI scanning machine.

" Capt zack was correct in guiding a CSE graduate towards the automation arena because of the exclusive learning the candidate must have undergone in the course of study. Would you do Phd and work as a Clerk ? Not sure what your choice is but i would think otherwise. "

I have not ever mentioned Mr. Zack is wrong as I said testing is not just learning a tool but learning to test and test efficiently. It definitely requires tools to make testing more efficient.

" Morever let me tell you some facts about Automation Vs Manual from the experiences i have gained through in the industry. "

So facts for you might not be true for every one.

" Take it as a advice from me, Do not live through the illusion of manual testing as one of the greatest achievements you have done. You will soon be sucked towards a "routine" blackhole from which if too late you wont be able to move farther."

As I said my point was not against automation but just scripting without logic to test will make people in blackhole any how.
As a tester one has to learn scripting, database concepts, queries, system programming etc. This will always be an added advantage.

[Ankur]

Shuchi had good points in this article.

[basanth27]

Shuchi had good points in this article.

Ankur -
I read this article 2 weeks ago i guess, and it is well written and very informative. As we move ahead in our career we try to read through the management gimmicks related to manual/automation techniques.

What the world sees with it bare eyes is just a corporate screen, while what happens within is simply called Business.

India has a large number of technical institutions, every year lakhs of young graduates pass out dreaming of an amazing career/lifestyle only to find that they need to get into what they want. Most of the time they face this due to the shortage of guidance which is really a essential part in nurturing them. I wish we had single window job system where everyone was able to try for it when they were freshers and chose what they wanted from the guidance counter.

With this abudance in talent we have a topper from a CSE branch of a engineering institution do manual testing. I dont say that it is bad, but the guy's talent is wasted as he moves on to make a comfortable life in manual testing. I dont blame anyone neither argue about it. All i am saying is, if we have a choice to make we must push the person to the right spot. I wish somebody did this to me...

Today, Manual vs automation remains a mere debate or a interview question rather than the underlying value of how it is decided, which is a mere business decision.

I simply vote for the quote, "No Job is a Bad Job".

All i urge in everyone is to come out and help the guy's who need a guidance...help them with your knowledge and tell them what could be good, show them the options they have and may "God" bless your soul.

Adios,
Basanth