Inspired by Maciej Wyrodek from ITea Morning daily Youtube channel, I started to explore the available roadmaps that organise the learning process leading to software testing / QA. The direct inspiration was the special episode (in Polish) on QA roadmaps.
Why to use roadmaps?
When you start learning something almost from scratch, you have to cope with a lot of uncertainty. You invest your time and money but you may not be sure if the direction chosen could lead you to your destination – the work in the profession of your dreams. Where to find the clues? One of such places are job offers with detailed lists of required skills. Unfortunately, the skills differ from one job offer to another and sometimes it is not easy to find a common set of requirements shared by the offers. And here come roadmaps, promising to lead you by the hand to the Mighty Mountain of QA. Let’s have a look at some interesting sites:
QA Engineer roadmap
This is where all this started – the first roadmap I came across a few weeks ago. Also Maciej Wyrodek focused especially on this roadmap. The roadmap leads you step by step through sequential levels of advancement, although it might be quite complicated to closely adhere to it, i.e. to go to the next milestone only after completing the first one. For example, HTML, CSS or DevTools mentioned in Automated Testing part are needed already during manual testing. Moreover, the roadmap doesn’t mention SQL that is required in most job offers in Poland. Nevertheless, the whole idea is really useful, especially with the clickable fields that reveal details of the selected technology or concept.
My Testing Career Cheatsheet
This list was recommended by Maciej Wyrodek in his special episode. The list focuses on general topics rather than detailed technologies. What is important, it starts with “Why”, as it is the basic question at the beginning of every route – Why do I want to work as a tester/QA. The tool also covers web profile building, networking, job interview and other useful topics. It is definitely worth attention, especially at the very beginning.
Roadmap to QA Automation Engineer
I’d call this one an advisory article rather than a real roadmap, but it is worth reading for anybody who thinks about automated tests. At the moment, I rather want to be a manual tester (although I’m learning Python to be able to develop any further career possibilities), but I found the article really interesting.
Web Skills
This is not a roadmap proper, but a complex catalogue of tools, documents and websites covering most of the technologies that may be of use during learning. The catalogue is built on icons, and every icon opens a whole bunch of hyperlinks. What a immensity of knowledge to go through! I’ll be using it as a supplement to other roadmaps and checklists.
Other roadmaps
From among the links provided by Maciej Wyrodek, I omitted the Senior Engineer’s CheckList. It is somehow too complicated for me at this stage of my (r)evolution.
The last tool was prepared in Polish by Piotr Wicherski — one of the most renowned software testers in Poland. He prepared a learning plan in Trello that anyone can copy into their own Trello account. Currently only two parts are available – the first one (“Are you sure?”) that is meant to answer the fundamental question if it is a good idea to become a tester, and the third one (“Testing”) meant to take 18 weeks of learning. The Trello board is full of links, checklists and other information leading the apprentice up the stairway to testers’ heaven. Definitely, I will be using the tool frequently.
To sum up, I think that with these checklists, tools, roadmaps and sheets it will be easier to go through any moments of uncertainty when you find yourself at the crossroads and don’t know where to direct your steps.