The testing of software can be conducted in a manual as well as an automated fashion; however, given the issues associated with manual testing, there is an increasing demand from Automation Testers to write automated checks and consequently of individuals who are able to play the role of testers as well as developers. Consequently, the demand for Software Development Engineers in Test (SDET) is accelerating at a swift rate and it is important to understand how to become a SDET as one chooses this lucrative career opportunity.
In this blog, we will try to answer the question of how to become a SDET by understanding a SDET’s Roles and Responsibilities as well as the learning road map of Automation Tester.
What is SDET?
SDET Roles and Responsibilities
How to become a SDET: Skills Required
SDET Learning Path
Future of SDET
How to Become a SDET: Things to Learn
Conclusion
What is SDET?
SDET implies Software Development/Design Engineer in Test. As a Test Automation Engineer, a SDET Roles and Responsibilities include duties of a tester as well as a developer. Thus, the pre-requisites to become a SDET include cultivation of competencies which enable one to adopt both roles. These individuals are professionals who are skilled in Software Development as well as Quality Engineering. They not only participate in developing and writing test scripts, but SDET testing also helps in fixing bugs as part of the process.
The conventional demarcation between writing codes and testing has become redundant. This resulted in testers participating in the process of code development right from the initial stage. These experts are assets for the organizations as they can write as well as test codes. Thus, the future of SDET is one of immense opportunities and fruitful gains.
SDET Roles and Responsibilities
In the capacity of a SDET Engineer: SDETs possess engineering skills along with testing ones. Consequently, they happen to be involved in data design, product design as well as user interfaces.
In the capacity of an Automation Tester: A SDET’s Roles and Responsibilities include the automation of as many scenarios as possible. This implies that they are required to built robust and high quality test automation solutions for conducting different types of tests.
They act as customer spokesperson: SDETs try to understand the requirement for a product from the perspective of the customer and since they are involved at every stage of its development, till its final release; they are the best advocate who can justify the need of the software.
In the capacity of a designer: The road map of SDET career includes participation in architectural design discussions and help in providing effective feedback.
Linkage: A SDET Roles and Responsibilities include maintaining technical communication with the partners so that the organization is better able to understand the needs of the customers.
Functional and non-functional testing: Automation Testers are responsible for testing the functional as well as the non-functional aspect of a product. While testers are generally responsible for testing the functionality of a product; SDETs are responsible for paying attention to such issues as well as the security of the application, the absence of any hacks which could be misused and so on.
How to become a SDET: Skills Required
The pre-requisites to become a SDET Course typically involve an educational qualification entailing a background in computer science or programming, most generally a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering or a similar field. It includes acquisition of practical experience through working in quality assurance or testing as well as development. At the same time, it is important to nurture and cultivate certain technical as well as non-technical skills which are crucial for the role of an Automation Tester.
Technical/Hard Skills
Understanding the working of the Internet/Web Applications: Individuals should have minimal understanding of how web browsers, applications and the Internet work. This would include having some knowledge of Hosting, Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC), Domain Name System (DNS), Application Programming Interface (API), server/client architecture, the OSI model and others, and the way they are a part of the whole software architecture.
Knowledge of HTML and CSS: CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) and HTML (Hyper-Text Markup Language) are considered to be fundamental units of web applications. The elements on a webpage are defined through HTML, while the feel and look of a webpage is constructed through CSS. The skills of an Automation Tester also include possessing a basic understanding of the properties and attributes of HTML and CSS.
Knowledge of a Programming Language: Mastering a programming language helps in acquiring the ability to develop website or product application. As an individual, you can begin with one programming language which can be used for Automation as well. You should master it in terms of its basics as well as its advanced features, before you wish to move on to another language.
Knowledge of Automation Tools: There are a number of Test Automation Tools available; however, as an effective SDET it would be important for you to choose the right tool for the right situation. This means that in performance of a SDET’s Roles and Responsibilities, you will be continuously required to learn tools for Automation Testing such as Selenium, Watir, Lambda Test and so on.
Learning SQL: An SDET has to directly handle data. These data can be acquired from myriad sources and SDETs are required to interact and comprehend them. These data may be present in the form of relational databases (SQL) or non-relational databases (NoSQL). Thus, learning SQL helps SDETs in resolving many of the issues which might be associated with data management.
Knowledge of the Version Control System: As an Automation Tester, you will be required to write, review, modify and manage a lot of source code. The Source Control System helps you and your team members to collaborate and work faster.
Agile and DevOps Process Management Methodology: While the purpose of Agile is to derive quick responses from the team on the feedback received through periodic assessments in sprints; the purpose of DevOps is to forge a close link between IT operations and the development team. When you try to understand the pre-requisites to become a SDET, you should know that you will be required to develop these essential methodology skills.
Non-Technical/Soft Skills
Open Mindset: It will be important for you to be adaptive. You should be receptive to and willing to learn about the changing technology as well as new scripting languages and automation tools which would help you in undertaking testing.
An Inquisitive Bent of Mind: At times, SDETs are required to go beyond their assigned activities and dive into the unknown. As an Automation Tester, they should be continuously engaged in thinking of ways for reducing the effort involved in as many tasks as possible through automation.
Communication Skills: An SDET is not only responsible for conducting tests, but they are also required to produce test strategies and bug reports. In order to ensure that these are easily understandable. SDETs should possess excellent verbal and written communication skills.
Team Player: Collaboration is one of the key skills of an individual in the capacity of a SDET. SDETs cannot blindly automate tests. They need to collaborate with other key players like manual testers, developers as well as product owners and business analysts.
Time Management and Organization Skills: An SDET’s job is demanding. It is important that an Automation Tester is able to efficiently manage the workload, displays high productivity and has excellent time management skills.
SDET Learning Path
The career road map of SDET can be understood to proceed in a given direction:
Junior SDET
Experience level (From fresher to 3 years)
Role: Responsible for creating automation test scripts, participating in bug analysis and writing test cases as well as learning new test automation tools.
Senior SDET
Experience level (From 3 to 7 years)
Role: Responsible for working with different test automation frameworks, looking into technical issues and solutions, being involved in software architectural design, being involved in process management, ensuring product scalability, striving for optimum software performance, evolving automation testing strategies, supervising juniors and so on.
SDET Manager
Experience level (From 7 to 10 years)
Role: Responsible for working in collaboration with Sr. SDET, the managing team and other departments.
Test Architect
Experience level (From 10 to 15 years)
Role: Responsible for designing software architecture, for collaborating with clients as well as for supervising test and development teams for any kind of technical dependencies.
Managing Director
Experience level (From 15 years onwards)
Role: Responsible for regulating the operation of business, providing strategic guidance to the management team as well as making sure that the Company achieves its targeted objectives.
Future of SDET
SDET Jobs is one of the most in-demand jobs within the tech industry as organizations are increasingly looking to hire SDET unicorns who serve as all-rounder by embodying the skills of a developer as well as a tester. A SDET’s Roles and Responsibilities is definitely a challenging one; however, it does assure profitable returns especially in terms of a handsome compensation package. The average SDET salary in U.S.A is $117,000. Thus, the range is usually from $90,000 to $140,000. Additionally, educational qualification, competencies, certifications and years of experience, are also bound to have an impact on the final package that a person receives.
How to Become a SDET: Things to Learn
You can begin by learning some basic things on the topic. Here are some suggestions:
JAVA
Automation Solutions and Tools like Selenium/Puppeteer/Cypress
Appium for mobile app testing
MangoDB/MySQL
GIT for Version Management
Circle CI/Jenkins for continuous integration
BDD for Behavior Data-Driven Testing
AWS/Azure for cloud computing
Apache/NGINX for server management
TestNG as a Test Runner
Conclusion
By virtue of possessing the right mixture of developer as well as tester skills, SDETs have become valuable for organizations. They have domain knowledge, participate in software designing, have experience in coding and are customer advocates who are receptive to the expectations of the end-users. As such, SDET career aspirants stand to gain a lot from their job.
If you are trying to understand how to become a SDET or looking to establish yourself as an Automation Tester; look no further. We, at Syntax Technologies, provide you with an outstanding opportunity to acquire expertise in the field.
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