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Illustration showing the IT career path as an SQA (Software Quality Assurance) Engineer. A person holding a magnifying glass stands beside a roadmap with stages labeled “Trainee/Manual Tester,” “Test Engineer/Automation,” and “Lead/QA Manager.” On the right, a computer screen displays a “TEST REPORT” with checkmarks and a wrench icon below, representing quality testing and system improvement. A speech bubble reads, “Why is IT a good idea to develop a career plan?” The image is branded with the ProResumes logo and has a light blue background symbolizing technology and career growth.
Published in: Career Opportunities

Choosing an IT career path as SQA engineer

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Ever used a mobile app or website with a great user experience and wondered who’s behind it?

An SQA engineer is the person behind the seamless user experience you feel when using a website or application.

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the software testing, QA jobs market is expected to grow in the future. They claimed that it will grow by 15% by 2034, which is higher than any other professional field.

Do you want to build your career in the information technology (IT) profession?

In this guide, we will explore the importance of an IT career path. Figure out if becoming a QA engineer is a good career choice. Moreover, we will cover the requirements, job search strategies, and scope for a quality assurance analyst.

Why do you need to consider IT as a top priority during career planning?

Not giving priority to the field of Information Technology (IT) in your career plan in 2025? Guess what? You’re going to miss out on huge opportunities. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the information technology professions will grow more than any other profession by 2034.

The field of IT is a unique field that is never going to be outdated until technology stops evolving. Moreover, there are several crucial factors and reasons that make IT a promising career worldwide. Here are some of the reasons why you should go for an IT career path:

  • Advance career sub-paths

One interesting factor about the field of IT lies in the great versatility it brings to your professional life. There is a range of sub-niches in IT that help an individual build new skills, eventually progressing their career.

The popular IT career paths include:

  1. Computer Programming
  2. Software Quality Assurance
  3. Database management
  4. Web development
  5. Cybersecurity
  • Enhanced Employee growth

Since the IT industry is a technological field, it is always evolving, and professionals need to keep themselves updated. This means a high potential for employee growth due to adaptability with different technologies.

For example, the rise of Artificial Intelligence came with both pros and cons for the tech world. Employees who adapted quickly are thriving, while others fell victim to major tech layoffs.

  • High-paying jobs

The IT field offers a range of high-paying jobs worldwide. Moreover, the field is interconnected with other occupational fields, which promotes career progress.

Some of the big names are part of the tech industry, which eventually makes an IT career a promising choice.

  • Workplace independence

With an increasing number of employees in the IT sector, there is a work-life balance like never before. Employees are also free to choose where they want to work after the remote or hybrid work options.

What is the role of an SQA engineer?

An SQA engineer, widely known as a software quality assurance engineer plays a huge role in providing a high-quality product. The product can be a website, a mobile or web application.

These quality assurance analysts work with the product development team and have a keen knowledge of the software development life cycle.

The QA engineer’s role is to ensure the quality of a product through:

  • Analyzing and testing a code to find any flaws or bugs.
  • Verify whether the final product meets the business and end-user requirements.
  • Conduct functional testing on the code to point out any major flaws.
  • Ensure that the final product provides a smooth user experience.

What are the major advantages of hiring an SQA engineer?

Hiring an SQA engineer can help the company and provide the following benefits:

  1. SQA engineers help the company improve the quality of the software product.
  2. They enhance the brand image of the company in the customer market.
  3. Their keen observation helps the company cut down expenses on product development.
  4. They help in reducing the risk factor before the software production and market launch.

How to become an SQA engineer?

If you’re interested in technology and the analytical and logical side of Information technology, you can easily become a QA engineer.

What are the SQA engineer education requirements?

Even though the IT industry is a flexible field that gives chances to candidates with a solid skill set. There are some prerequisites that you need to become an SQA engineer.

The software testing qualifications include:

  • Having a bachelor’s degree in the program of information technology or computer science to get the basics.
  • Get a QA engineer entry-level job to build experience as a QA tester.
  • Get certification through the International Software Testing Qualification Board (ISTQB).

List of important SQA engineer skills

There is a range of skills that an individual should develop to become an SQA engineer:

  • Understanding of STLC: Quality assurance analysts are required to have a deep understanding of the Software Testing life cycle, along with SDLC.

A QA tester is in charge of developing the software testing plan to ensure proper testing of a product.

The software testing life cycle (STLC) includes phases like:

  • Requirement Analysis
  • Test planning
  • Test case design
  • Test environment setup
  • Test execution
  • Test closure
  • Programming skills: It is important for a QA tester to understand all the popular programming languages. Being proficient in a programming language is a crucial technical skill of a software engineer.
  • SQL and Database management knowledge: To advance in your QA engineer career path, you need to learn the importance of data management and security.
  • Build problem-solving skills: The work of a QA engineer requires a lot of logic and analytical thinking to analyze and debug code.
  • Develop soft skills: Having soft skills like interpersonal communication, adaptability, and attention to detail is crucial for a QA tester.

How to advance in your career as an SQA engineer?

If you’re experienced in software testing and have gained enough experience, you can advance in your career path by choosing:

  • Automation Engineering
  • Becoming an SDET (Software Development Engineer in Test)

You’re experienced as a Quality analyst, but aren’t getting any jobs? The issue might lie in the ATS scans, your resume went through.

Get in touch with ProResumes today to get your ATS-friendly QA engineer resume today!

How to find QA tester remote jobs as a beginner?

Once you’ve gained experience as a software quality analyst, it’s time for job hunting. Moreover, the best part of following a QA engineer career path is having remote job options.

Here’s how you can find software quality assurance remote jobs easily:

  • LinkedIn: When it comes to job-hunting, LinkedIn is the best platform with a variety of search filters to find the best. The platform is offering more than 200 remote job postings for software quality assurance engineers.
  • Indeed: You can find more than 400 jobs for QA testers on this job-hunting site. According to Indeed, a SQA engineer can earn $91,251 in a year in the US.
  • Glassdoor: Another job-hunting site where you can find several jobs, even from big companies like Apple and Google.

Want to learn how to prepare for a software engineering interview? Learn here.

Top 5 companies in the world that are offering jobs for SQA Engineers

According to Glassdoor, there are several large-scale companies worldwide that are offering software quality assurance vacancies.

Apple

The smartphone giant Apple has posted nearly 221 software testing, QA jobs in all the states of America.

Google

With a 4.4 rating, Google’s job posting shows 22 software quality assurance vacancies with competitive QA tester pay range.

Salesforce

The widely known CRM platform, Salesforce, shows nearly 70 results for quality analysts high-paying jobs. This proves that SQA engineers are still in demand.

Microsoft

Microsoft offers almost 300 QA tester jobs in the United States.

Adobe

The biggest producer of the best designing software, Adobe has posted 67 software quality assurance vacancies.

What is the future of the job market for SQA engineers?

Senior-level SQA engineers can make up to $143,716 annually in the United States. Moreover, with the use of AI for writing code, human QA engineers are a necessity to ensure software quality.

SQA engineers are going to have more job opportunities in the next few years than other professions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Will testers be replaced by AI?

QA testers have faced high competition and layoffs in the past few years because of the Artificial intelligence (AI) technology. However, the job of a quality analyst is complex and requires analytical thinking.

Moreover, the use of AI in coding for software or web products made it more vulnerable to flaws and bugs. This is why the need for human QA engineers in the future will be more than ever.

Q. Are SQA engineers still in demand?

Yes, even though the job market for quality analysts is really competitive at the moment. They are still in demand by large-scale companies all over the world.

Q. What does SQA stand for?

SQA means software quality assurance. This term is used to highlight the roles and duties require during an STLC.