Is testing right for you? Here's what a Niteco tester has to say

A software tester is someone who is involved in the quality assurance stage of software development and deployment. They conduct automated and manual tests to ensure the software created by developers is fit for purpose. Plus, they are the ones to make sure any bugs are removed within a product before it gets deployed to users.

In this latest Human of Niteco issue, we will talk to one of our software testers, Mrs Huong Bui, a Senior Tester at Niteco. A graduate of FPT University, Huong holds a Bachelor of Information Technology and has more than 12 years of testing experience with brands like FPT Software, Metrixa Technology and currently, Niteco. Today, she’s gonna give us some insights into this promising career path. So, let’s dive right in!

What’s the most interesting aspect of being a tester?

I guess the most interesting thing to me is whenever I’ve found a critical bug, I feel over the moon. Otherwise, I am really interested in reviewing and giving feedback on the UI/UX design of a website at the start of any project.

One more interesting thing is that this is such a crucial role that can change how a developer views the quality of a product. I mean, it’s not only testers who are responsible for the quality of the codes but also developers who need to carefully test their codes before releasing them to testers.

"Testers are close companions of developers"- Mrs. Huong Bui 

Over the past 12 years, what is the one unforgettable mistake you’ve made in this job?

Honestly, people make mistakes whether it’s at work or in life. However, some mistakes haunt us forever. I used to work with a very punctilious project manager. He wanted zero bugs when the website goes live - however, I might have unforeseen a minor UI design error at the footer of the page. So, as a perfectionist, the PM might have a harsh attitude. He told me: “How could a skilled and experienced software tester have missed a bug like this?” After that incident, I’ve adapted that way of working and always make sure there’s zero bug at any release.

What is the unfortunate prejudice against being a tester in Vietnam?

Developers usually say that being a tester is pretty leisured. Testers don’t have to waste their brains and come up with complicated codes that can perform well.

To be honest, developers don’t need testers to be able to make software products. On the other hand, if there is no such thing as a developer, software testers wouldn’t exist.

Ms. Huong with colleagues in the Niteco's 9th anniversary

However, the relationship between a developer and a tester is a win-win and crucial relationship. A product made without being tested but delivered straight to the customers would face a high risk. So, it is the role of a tester to make an important decision whether the project is going to be released or not. Say, while on UAT (User Acceptance Testing), some customers might not be able to spot the bugs, so they agreed to go live. However, if a tester found a bug, the release would be cancelled until it’s fixed to go live.

What is the career path for a software tester?

A software tester can be trained to be a Project Manager or a team lead if they learn to do manual testing and management. Another potential career path, with a little bit of training in business analytics, is to become a Business Analyst. Or else, automation testing is a very trendy career right now. This role has great pay just like developer’s.

 Automation testers now get great pay just like developers’

It’s said that anybody can be a software tester. What do you think?

In my opinion, if you choose a career path as a software tester, you should have some basic training. Testers need to understand not only software development, products and services of a customer but also the end users. They also must be able to analyse customers’ requirements and know how to communicate with the customers, whether we understand them correctly or we are unclear about a particular requirement.

Besides, testers have to know how to design effective test cases to cover every future possibility. It’s not wrong when people say anybody can be a tester; however, it takes patience and perceptiveness to learn and do this job.

"It takes patience and perceptiveness to learn and do this job (testing)." - Mrs Huong Bui

To be a good software tester sure does take a long journey. However, you will learn so much along the way about different hard and soft skills. So, if you want to be like Huong, or better, if you want to work with Huong, apply to work with us today! You can find the Vietnamese version of this article here.