Software testing: high-potential career option

Especially in Indias fast-track IT (information technology) industry (aggregate revenue: Rs.262,917 crore in 2008) where change is constant, new jobs and vocations which were not on the radar screen of parents, youth and even career counselors a decade ago, have emerged as lucrative and high-potential career paths. With ITs increasing pervasive-ness, software testing is a new and fresh option in this field, a promising career choice for todays young and diverse workforce. The aggregate revenue of software testing companies is estimated worldwide at $13 billion (Rs.61,100 crore), of which Indian enterprises are expected to corner a major share.Software testing is a major business within the global BPM (business process management) industry. Almost every business process nowadays is computerised and software programmes have to be completely reliable. This makes the testing of the products/system at every stage manda-tory, says Suman Reddy Eadunuri, managing director of the Hyderabad-based Pegasys-tems Worldwide India Pvt. Ltd. Currently the company has a headcount of 70 testing profess-ionals, and is recruiting aggres-sively to maintain its phenomenal growth rate. According to Eadunuri, software testing is a very critical function within the software deve-lopment and service industry. Its a fundamental component of software quality assurance and a review of specifications, design and coding. Software testers subject newly deve-loped software programmes to several stress tests to ensure they serve their intended purpose. Some companies spend around 25 to 50 percent of their software development budgets on testing, says Eadunuri. To qualify as a software testing professional, an engineering degree is the minimum requirement. Additional qualifications particularly a diploma in the subject is an added advantage. Among the well-known institutions which offer training in software testing are Seed Info Tech and SQTL, Pune; Webeklabs at Delhi, Hyderabad and Kolkata; MindQ, Hyderabad and Qspider, Bangalore. Moreover QAL, ASQ, ISQTB and several other institutes offer certification. CQTM and PMP are additional certifications which could help testers to shinny up the executive ladder. Quick Test Professional (QTP) is a testing tool that allows the automation of user actions on a web or client-based computer application and almost every institute trains its students in using this tool. However, domain knowledge of software development is a prerequisite of a successful career in software testing. The rapid growth of the IT industry has created a huge demand surge for software testing professionals. While testing was hitherto incorporated into the software development process, it has now become an independent vertical. Almost all big and medium-size IT companies boast independent testing centres to maintain quality excellence. Our projections indicate that around 30,000-35,000 new software testing professionals will be required in India by 2011. To sustain this growth, software graduates are rapidly absorbed in this field, with top bracket IT companies offering start-up salaries of Rs.600,000 per year. In Pegasystems, we recruit software testers at the same salaries as software developers and theres scope for fast progression within the organisation, says Eadunuri, an IT industry expert who has 12 plus years of experience. An engineering graduate of Osmania University, Hyderabad,…