If you are considering a career as a software tester or a quality assurance analyst, then apart from job satisfaction your thoughts will be on what salary you can expect and whether the role comes with any perks of the job.
Software testers are involved with fixing bugs and coding, so before you embark on this career, think about what makes you tick and whether you want to be involved with the quality assurance side of software. Ultimately, testers are employed to resolve any software glitches before being released to the outside world. You certainly need to be of an analytical mind and enjoy looking for the smallest of errors within a program, often a time-consuming and frustrating process.
According to Pay Scale, a software tester earns an average salary of £24,749 per year. Of course, this very much depends on how long you have been qualified, your experience and where you are working. There are always going to be skills that demand higher salaries, such as .NET and C++, which is in demand at the present time. Starting salaries for university graduates will be between £18,000 and £24,000, which can rise after 3-5 years’ work experience, up to between £35,000 and £50,000.
Biggest Paying Sectors
If you are looking to reap big rewards from this role, then you need to find a position within the financial services industry and be prepared to work in the City of London. You can expect working hours to be a standard office day with occasional shifts and unsociable hours to get the job done. If you choose to work in an office setting then being sat down for hours upon hours could get uncomfy so make sure you have comfortable seating like office chairs and the selection of Reception Chairs available from sites such as https://www.bestbuy-officechairs.co.uk/reception-chairs/ for your visitors.
You could look to work for a software testing service, where you would be freelancing and working from home, which can be anywhere in the world. Often freelancing can make quite a lot of money, assuming you can organise your accounts and ensure you have enough work coming in.
Benefits
On top of a basic salary, many organisations pay benefits. This will almost certainly depend on the type of organisation you are working for, but expect benefits such as a pension and approximately 25 days holiday (which can often rise after a number of years working for your employer), plus sickness pay as a minimum. You may also get healthcare, dental plans and overtime.