Quality Assurance

Software testing is used by many as a synonym for quality assurance, but in reality these two terms refer to very different stages of software development.

In essence, quality assurance refers to inspecting the process which a product or service is undergoing, while still in the early stages of development. Testing, on the other hand, refers to the inspection of a product or service which is already in some form of existence.

When it comes to software development, an example of quality assurance would be figuring out the system requirements necessary to operate the software in question. Testing would be done on a piece of software whose system requirements are already known. Quality assurance is done in order to prevent bugs from entering the code to begin with, while testing is conducted to find bugs which are already in existence.

The role of software tester is crucial, since it is one which greatly affects development and eventual software release. Evaluating software requires a critical eye and an objective approach to software. The tester is thinking not only of customer or client satisfaction, but also of the pre-defined developmental objectives and their fulfillment to the highest degree. The tester is the middle man, then, between the engineers/developers and the end-users. Software testing can determine the quality and correctness of software at its functional stages, which is why it is so important. While testing does not ensure that no bugs will be present in the final product, it does bring the software another step closer to completion. Testing can be done in a virtually infinite number of ways and means, utilizing many different environments. Because of this, no software is ever completely free of bugs, even in its final stages of development and release.

Testing, Testing… 1,2,3

The Udemy Software Testing page has videos which are featured on it. At the top of the page is the top student pick, which is titled The Best Software Testing Training You Will Ever Get. It is instructed by Vijay Shinde, who has over 9 years of experience as a software tester. Shinde is the founder of SoftwareTestingHelp.com, and his training course has been taken by over 5000 students. It includes 37 lectures, and 55 hours of video. The cost of the course is $99, and it is a course which is suited for all levels.

Software Testing

Students will gain knowledge in testing and automation basics, and also get hands-on experience with test management software such as JIRA, QC, QTP, qTest, and Bugzilla. Practical assignments are presented at the end of every lesson, and live project work keeps students engaged in the subject matter and course material. In the course, Shinde also provides certification guidance for those who wish to become fully accredited in the field. The course also challenges the students with job interview questions and preparation tips.

The course is taught with the help of instructor Swati Seela, a computer science engineer with over 9 years of experience in software testing and quality assurance. Anyone with basic computer knowledge can take the course, and it is suited for those who are seeking to change careers or further their already-existing IT careers.

Related Fields

Other courses which are featured in Udemy’s “Software Testing” page are the top free courses, top paid courses, and courses which are new and mention-worthy. The prices of the featured paid courses range from $19 to $150, and they include courses like Learn JMETER from Scratch (Performance + Load) Testing Tool ($101), WebSecurity Testing for Beginners-QA knowledge to next level ($131), Learn SQL and Database Testing from Scratch ($75), and Getting Started with Software Testing Context and Basics (Free).

To the left of the different featured videos is a list of related topics, which serve to point the student in the direction of other relevant courses. These related topics can help enrich the student’s knowledge, and serve as a next level of training and education. These topics include – but are not limited to – IT certification, web development, databases, and programming languages.