Although testers and QA engineers are not the same thing (the concept of QA is broader than testing), in Ukraine, the difference between these two positions is rarely defined. Also, many people support the idea that this profession is easy to learn, and therefore they choose it for a quick entry into the IT world.
We can agree that testers need a less deep understanding of the technical side of development, but quality control over the program and its improvement — is no less difficult task that QA engineers work with every day. The tester is responsible for an important part of the work on a digital product, so in addition to hard skills, he/she must be attentive to details and have analytical thinking.
In this material, we talk about the main practical skills required for a tester and the courses. They will allow both beginners and experienced specialists to improve their knowledge.
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QA Manual from Hillel
To start a career in testing, you should start with a basic level. For beginners, it is important to have an understanding of the basics of programming, to get acquainted with software development processes and new technologies in the industry. To avoid getting confused in technical terminology, you should either find a mentor or take a specialized course. At Hillel Computer School, beginners are offered a combined option, as they are taught the basics under the supervision of experienced professionals.
In 32 lessons, the school will help you immerse yourself in the IT industry and master the necessary skills for a junior tester. The course has a distance learning format and includes both theoretical lessons with a topic-specific introduction and lessons on specific technologies used by testers in their work: IntelliJ IDEA, SoapUI, Postman, Linux, JMeter, Jira, MySQL, Testcaselab.
The course is taught by specialists with practical experience in large IT companies (SoftServe, CIKLUM, WIX, etc.), so students will get acquainted with real cases rather than dry theory. The course program will cover all types of software testing, techniques for conducting it on different platforms (Desktop/Web/Mobile), creating and executing tests. In addition, the course will cover topics on documentation preparation and database management, as well as the basics of Web technologies (HTTP/HTTPS, HTML, CSS, etc.).
The course has the advantage of English classes, which is important for those students who do not have a technical background or want to move to IT from another field. Upon completion of the course, each student will receive a certificate and undergo training with the school’s HR specialist, who will help them write a resume, prepare for the peculiarities of a technical interview and the specifics of IT recruiting.
QA Automation
The Hillel School also offers a course for experienced professionals. This curriculum is not just an introductory one, but helps juniors to understand automated testing and work with Jenkins, Java, TestNG, Selenium, Rest, Maven, Git.
In this course, the student will have to delve into the technical side of work and master the basics of the Java programming language, its syntax, and the general principles of object-oriented programming (polymorphism, encapsulation, inheritance). The course has received a more advanced topic on working with Web technologies, and practical work with Browser Developer Tools has been added to the basics of HTML and CSS.
After 32 lessons, the student will clearly understand how to develop a strategy and plans for automated tests, what parts a project consists of, and will master specific skills (Java Core (Exceptions, Collections, Generics, programming patterns and principles, unit testing, build tools (Maven/Gradle), etc.)
At the end of the training, everyone will prepare a test project based on Selenium. This will become an applied case that can be added to the portfolio and thus improve your professional level.
QA Automation — Python
This curriculum has a similar methodology, but is based not on Java, but on the equally popular Python programming language. The course structure and duration are similar (32 online lessons, 2 lessons per week), the program is no less intense and contains both theory about the syntax and basic tools of the Python programming language and practical cases on creating complex console programs.
The student will master a number of Advanced-level technologies: Jenkins, Selenium, Rest, Git, Python, Continuous Integration. After the course, the student will know how to use serializers, Rest API testing tools, work with multithreading and multitasking in testing and Python, the Jenkins system, and build testing frameworks.
This and the previous programs should be chosen by experienced professionals who understand manual testing at the Junior level and are familiar with the basics of modern programming languages. At the beginning of the training, the school offers a professional test to determine the level of training, so that after the start the student can understand all the topics and not get confused in complex terminology.
QA (Testing) from Mate academy
The full-time program from Mate academy has an interesting approach to payment — the student immediately receives a guarantee of the quality of training, because under the terms of the contract, he pays for the course only after employment. This course is perfect for those who are studying at a university or working in an IT company and want to master a new industry field.
This course is optimal for beginners who want to get acquainted with the work of a QA specialist. The training has a practical approach, as it is based on the consideration of real cases from practicing teachers. In addition to the theory of testing, the program includes English lessons, and the main advantage of the training is the program, which is based on the needs of the largest IT employers. The school conducted a survey of industry leaders to adapt the training and make it as relevant as possible. Thus, the student will understand the requirements of a junior tester and prepare for real tasks that a QA engineer solves on a daily basis.
It is worth noting that before the course starts, the school conducts an interview, selecting really motivated students who are ready for an intensive work schedule. The program consists of 18 modules: from SQL Basics, JavaScript syntax, to learning Web technologies, GitHub, and algorithms.
In total, students have to complete 132 topics in 3 months and master a number of technologies: VSCode, TestRail, Javascript, Jest, Docker, Cypress, Jira, PostgreSQL, and Android Studio. After studying each topic, students will have a Q&A session where they can ask questions to mentors and work on their mistakes.
QA (Testing) Evening
In contrast to the full-time program, the flexible schedule course has the same program, but allows you to combine your studies with your main job. This course differs from the previous one by its duration — the student will take the course with the same intensity, but for 5 months. It also provides for the classic tuition fee, but otherwise, the course still prepares QA engineers and helps with employment thanks to the final module on career growth strategies. English classes have also been added to the same course, and the first module on SQL Basics is provided free of charge to familiarize yourself with the teaching methods.
Even during flexible learning, Mate academy will provide the necessary networking, forming a community of students and helping with employment. In addition to partnering with large industry companies, the academy helps prepare for interviews, create resumes, cover letters, portfolios, and prepare all the necessary work profiles for company recruiters (LinkedIn, DOU, Djinni).