Guide
What is a QA Engineer? A Guide for Beginners
Written By Jennifer Inglis
Edited By Jess Feldman
Last updated February 28, 2025
Written By Jennifer Inglis
Edited By Jess Feldman
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Course Report strives to create the most trust-worthy content about coding bootcamps. Read more about Course Report’s Editorial Policy and How We Make Money.
Quality Assurance (QA) Engineers are the gatekeepers of all things quality control when it comes to software. They are responsible for making sure that code “passes muster” by testing it at all steps in the development process, looking for bugs or problems, and then working with the developers to ensure that those issues are resolved before the software is released. And according to Google’s 2024 Dora Report, the adoption of AI has actually led to a 7.2% reduction in delivery stability, underscoring the importance of robust testing mechanisms and adherence to fundamental software delivery practices. If ensuring the quality and stability of cutting-edge software sounds like a career for you, we’ve got all the information you need to make the change, including how QA fits into the software development lifecycle, the tools you need to know, and the differences between web development jobs and QA jobs.
Short answer: The main goal of QA testing is to ensure that the product being created is exactly what the customer wants and has no bugs when it's released.
Most industries have quality assurance teams to ensure that their products meet the highest possible standards. QA Engineers are often involved in all phases of the agile development process, including sitting in on design meetings, being on calls with clients, and checking code as soon as developers are writing it.
AJ Larson, Program Director for the Quality Assurance (QA) Program at Devmountain, puts it this way: “A QA tester is specialized in having the customer mindset, championing the customers and asking questions to make sure that everybody is on the same page and nothing is missed. In the long haul, QA saves time and money.”
A QA tester is in charge of making sure that the software product does what it’s supposed to. To make sure that happens, QA tester responsibilities will include:
When identifying what qualities make a great QA Engineer, Larsen says, “When I'm interviewing a QA Engineer, I look for good questions. At Devmountain, we look for students who can ask effective questions, spot flaws and contradictions, and notice missing pieces. The kind of person who enjoys solving problems. Somebody who can drill down and not be satisfied with the easy answer.”
You also might be a good fit for QA testing if:
Manual QA is exactly what it sounds like: an actual person interacting directly with the software to test for bugs and issues. QA automation, on the other hand, involves the use of computer programs to perform predefined test scripts, allowing for faster, scalable, and more repetitive testing with less “hands on” interaction.
What are the main differences between Manual QA and QA Automation?
| Manual QA | QA Automation | |
| Reliability | Manual QA tends to be less accurate, due to the possibility of human error. | With its reliance on computer programs, QA automation may be more accurate. |
| Speed | Manual QA has a slower turnaround time. | QA automation can do large-scale testing quickly. |
| Overall Experience | Manual QA can provide a better user experience, as it provides the “human touch.” | Use of automation means that this type of QA will be more mechanized. |
Using manual QA or QA automation will ultimately depend on the requirements and scope of a project. At this point, while efficient, QA automation cannot completely replace manual QA because it can’t replicate human cognition, creativity, and emotional intelligence.
It’s important to learn both aspects of QA testing. Tyrus Skipper, a graduate of TripleTen’s QA Engineering Bootcamp, says this about his experience: “We learned manual QA, then in later sprints learned some automatic testing for a web application…The last month of the program was dedicated to learning automatic testing with Selenium since it’s one of the most popular QA tools that companies look for.”
QA Engineers may use tools, such as:
The answer is: It depends on the company. Some require coding knowledge; some don’t. While Larsen says that you don’t need a tech background to get into QA testing and can be successful with a “small amount” of programming, he also shares that it will help you to find jobs if you know at least one programming language. “It is going to make you more marketable to know at least one programming language,” Larsen says, “The big four (in my experience) are Java, C#, JavaScript and Python. I think that JavaScript and Python are more forgiving to newcomers, but automation is also more forgiving than development.”
The bottom line is that coding is not necessarily required, but it might be helpful to enroll in a QA Testing bootcamp to ensure you’re getting the basic skills you’ll need to land a job in QA engineering.
Larsen says that there’s a “misconception” that QA engineering doesn’t pay as well as web development. “If you are willing to do the work to get into automation,” Larsen says, “then you will make a salary on par with a web developer. You are basically a developer who is all about quality.” But it’s important to grow your skills and make yourself as marketable as possible. He continues: “If you only stick to manual QA, then you might not make as much or be able to grow as far as more tech-savvy QA Engineers…It is easier to grow faster in QA than it is in development because the industry is lacking people with the technical QA skill set while developers are plentiful.
According to Zip Recruiter, the average salary for a Manual QA Tester is $86K per year, whereas a QA Automation Engineer is around $107K. Of course, salary may vary based on location, years of experience, and expertise.
The basic difference between QA engineering and web development is fairly straightforward: a web developer designs and builds the website or app and the QA engineer is responsible for quality control. Web developers typically have more programming knowledge and are fluent in programming languages such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript. QA engineers may have less coding knowledge but may be proficient in writing automation scripts to test the products for bugs. QA engineers also tend to be more detail-oriented, as their jobs require the ability to look for and identify problems and issues in a product, while developers are often more solution-focused and creative.
If you’re having trouble deciding which path is best for you, check out our guide, “QA Testing vs Software Engineering Careers: How to Choose.”
A quality QA testing program will teach you how software is developed and how QA fits into the development lifecycle. In general, to become a QA engineer or a QA tester, you will need to learn:
While some QA engineers do have a degree in computer science, it isn’t a requirement to begin working in the field.
At QA Testing Bootcamps, you will learn the skills you need to become a Manual QA Tester, QA Engineer, QA Analyst, or Software Development Engineer in Test (SDET). The curriculum will most likely teach Python and Selenium, as well as skills such as mobile and web application testing, debugging, test automation, and documentation.
Get a sense of your career goals to understand if you should learn QA automation in addition to manual QA testing. Chris, a TripleTen grad, chose a program that taught him both manual and automated QA simultaneously, while Guzal, a Test Pro graduate, enrolled in a program solely focused on manual QA. Roman finished the manual QA testing program at Careerist before returning to upskill by learning QA automation.
Once you’ve completed your training, you can seek out industry certifications. These may increase your hireability and certify your credibility. The certification you pursue will depend on your level of experience, but they range from entry-level to experienced.
Some certifications to consider are:
Jennifer Inglis, Guest Editor
Jennifer Inglis is a freelance writer, editor, and content creator with extensive professional expertise in advertising, media analysis, teaching, writing, and literature. Prior to becoming a writer, Jennifer was a Media Analyst for ten years and then earned her master's degree in Teaching, instructing middle-school students in college/career readiness, writing, and public speaking..
Jess Feldman, Content Manager at Course Report
Jess Feldman is an accomplished writer and the Content Manager at Course Report, the leading platform for career changers who are exploring coding bootcamps. With a background in writing, teaching, and social media management, Jess plays a pivotal role in helping Course Report readers make informed decisions about their educational journey.
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