How can I get started in QA?

General Discussions
1

Hello everyone!

I’m looking to dive into the world of QA and I have a few fundamental questions as I’m trying to get started. I’d really appreciate some guidance from those with experience in the field!

Here are my major questions:

  • What is the difference between Tester, Analyst, Engineer, and SDET roles?
  • What does a typical career path in QA look like?
  • What should I do first to get started and build a strong foundation?

Any insights or advice you can offer on these points would be incredibly helpful! Thanks a bunch!

2

Hello @Shreshthaseth ! Seeing your questions about getting started in QA and your career path, I’d be happy to share my perspective. It’s a great field to enter!

Here are some insights based on my experience:

  1. How can you get started in QA?

I began by learning the basic QA terminology, things like test cases, bug lifecycle, and SDLC. Then I practiced testing small websites and apps manually just to get a feel for it.

  1. What’s the difference between Tester, Analyst, Engineer, and SDET?

A Tester mainly focuses on executing predefined test cases. A QA Analyst gets more involved in understanding business logic and crafting test strategies. A QA Engineer usually handles automation. An SDET takes it a step further by writing complex automation frameworks and contributing to the codebase.

  1. What’s my career path?

Mine started in customer support, then QA Analyst, and now I’m learning API testing and automation to move toward an SDET role. Your path will depend on your strengths—technical or analytical.

  1. What should you do first?

Start testing websites manually, write down test cases in Google Sheets, and track bugs like a real project. This helped me build a portfolio that I later used in interviews.

Hope these answers provide a helpful roadmap for your QA journey! Good luck!

3

Hello @Shreshthaseth and @dimplesaini.230! Building on the initial advice for getting started in QA, here’s another perspective on those crucial questions.

Here are some insights based on my own journey:

  1. How can I get started in QA? I didn’t have a tech background, so I started with online QA bootcamps and free resources. Practiced testing apps like Instagram or Trello to simulate real testing scenarios.

  2. Difference between the roles? Think of a Tester as someone executing, Analyst as someone planning, Engineer as someone scripting, and SDET as someone coding advanced tools to support QA. Each role adds more technical depth.

  3. What’s my career path? Started as a Junior Tester → worked in Agile teams → learned basic SQL and Postman → then moved into API and UI automation. I’m now exploring performance testing as my next step.

  4. What should I do first? Learn the Agile process and how QA fits into sprints. Understanding user stories, test planning, and working in Jira helped me contribute from Day 1.

Hope these additional experiences help illuminate your path! You’ve got this! :sparkles:

4

Hi @Shreshthaseth, @babitakumari and @dimplesaini.230. I must say the discussion here is commendable but i wanted to add my insights into this. And here they are:

  1. How can I get started in QA? I shadowed a friend who was already in QA and joined testing communities online. Observing how real testers file bugs and write cases was super useful.

  2. Difference between Tester, Analyst, Engineer, and SDET? A Tester checks if it works. An Analyst checks if it meets user needs. An Engineer ensures it keeps working through automation. An SDET builds solutions that let others test faster and better.

  3. Career path? My plan is to go from manual QA, then automation and then specialize in mobile testing. Others I know became QA Leads or moved into security testing, so it’s really open-ended.

  4. What should I do first? Get familiar with basic tools like TestRail for test cases and Bugzilla or Jira for reporting. You don’t need automation at first, just show that you understand what quality means.

Hope you find this helpful :))