The Complete Guide to Becoming a Quality Assurance (QA) Tester in 2025

Kelechi Edeh -

Imagine downloading a new app—maybe it’s a finance tracker or a food delivery service—and within seconds, it crashes. You try again. Still nothing. Annoyed, you uninstall it and move on. Multiply that frustration by a few thousand users, and you’ll start to see why companies are investing more in quality assurance (QA) testers.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the demand for QA testers is projected to grow by 17% between 2023 and 2033, with over 327,000 new roles expected. It’s a career where precision, curiosity, and communication matter just as much as technical know-how. And in an era where broken tech equals broken trust, QA testers are becoming the quiet heroes behind every bug-free experience.

So, what exactly does a QA tester do, how much can you earn, and how do you get started? Let’s break it down.

Who is a QA Tester?

A QA (Quality Assurance) tester is someone who makes sure software products are stable, functional, and ready for the real world. They look for bugs, glitches, usability issues, and anything that could disrupt the user experience. Whether it’s a banking app or an e-commerce website, a QA tester steps in to find problems before the public ever sees them.

It’s easy to confuse QA testing with software testing, but there’s a subtle difference. Software testing focuses on identifying bugs in the final product. QA testing, on the other hand, is about preventing those bugs from happening in the first place. It’s more process-oriented, ensuring quality across the entire development cycle.

How Much Can You Earn as a QA Tester?

Salaries for QA testers vary based on experience and location. According to Glassdoor and Indeed data, average salary in the United States is around $82,000/year, with entry-level roles starting at $56K and senior testers earning over $100K.

For other parts of the world, you can expect:

  • India: Median annual salary is approximately ₹4.4 lakhs (≈ $5,280).
  • Canada: QA testers earn about $25,420/year on average.
  • Nigeria: Median salary is around ₦2.99 million/year (≈ $1,930).
  • UK: Senior QA testers in London earn an average of £25,728/year (≈ $32,960).

What Does a QA Tester Do?

QA testers are involved in every stage of the software development life cycle. Here’s what their day-to-day might include:

  • Writing and executing test plans and test cases
  • Reporting bugs and tracking them to resolution
  • Working with developers to prevent future issues
  • Performing different types of tests: functional, regression, performance, and mobile
  • Reviewing product requirements and ensuring they meet both user and technical expectations
  • Using tools like Selenium, Postman, JIRA, and JMeter to automate and track testing

QA testers often toggle between manual and automated testing, depending on the project, and collaborate closely with designers, engineers, and product managers.

Skills Needed to Become a QA Tester

You don’t need to be a full-on programmer, but some technical chops definitely help. Here’s what you’ll want to have in your toolkit:

Technical skills:

  • Familiarity with software development life cycles (Agile, Scrum)
  • Knowledge of testing tools like Selenium, JIRA, or TestRail
  • Basic programming or scripting (Python, Java, or SQL)
  • Understanding of APIs and tools like Postman

Soft skills:

  • Attention to detail
  • Analytical thinking
  • Strong written and verbal communication
  • Problem-solving mindset
  • Patience (lots of it)

How to Become a QA Tester (Roadmap)

If you're starting from scratch or pivoting from another field, here's how to break into QA step-by-step:

Step 1: Learn the basics

Start by understanding what QA testing is all about. Courses like Foundations of Software Testing by the University of Leeds can get you up to speed in just a few hours.

Step 2: Pick up technical skills

You’ll need to get hands-on with tools like Selenium, JIRA, TestRail, and Postman. Learn how to write basic test cases, understand API testing, and explore how automation works.

Step 3: Get certified

Certifications help you stand out—especially if you don’t have a formal tech background. Start with the ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level (CTFL). Later, you can explore specialized ones like CAST, CSTE, CSQA, or mobile-focused certs like CMT.

Step 4: Build real-world experience

You can get practical experience by testing open-source projects, doing internships, or contributing to community QA tasks. Platforms like GitHub and bug bounty programs are great places to start. You could also enroll in Coursera's guided project—API Testing Using Rest Assured Test Automation Tool—for hand-on learning and building experience.

Step 5: Create a portfolio

Document your process. Include test cases, bug reports, and write-ups showing how your work improved a product. Even if it’s just passion projects or mock tests, show your thinking.

Step 6: Apply smartly

Look out for job titles like “QA Tester,” “Software Tester,” or “Test Engineer.” Tailor your applications to reflect your skills and hands-on work. Networking in QA forums or LinkedIn communities can help surface hidden opportunities.

Conclusion

QA testing isn’t just about finding bugs—it’s about protecting the user experience and holding tech to a higher standard. If you’re someone who pays attention to detail, loves problem-solving, and wants to be part of the tech world without needing to code all day, this could be your path in.

And with job demand rising, salaries staying competitive, and more ways to learn than ever before, there’s never been a better time to get started in quality assurance.

So, if you’ve ever shouted at a buggy app or cringed at a broken login page, maybe it’s time to be the person who fixes it—before it ever breaks.