Automation Insights 101

They say automation saves time, but have you ever spent three days fixing a broken test that was supposed to save you five minutes? That's like buying a self-cleaning litter box and still having to scoop because the cat refuses to use it. Automation in software testing is like ordering takeout instead of cooking—you do it to save time, but if you overdo it, you'll end up with a fridge full of soggy leftovers. Many teams think the goal is to automate everything, but that's like trying to train a Roomba to babysit your kids—ambitious, but doomed to fail. Instead, let's talk about smart automation, where we focus on high-value tests that provide fast, reliable feedback, like a well-trained barista who gets your coffee order right every single time. Why Automating Everything Will Drive You (and Your Team) Insane The dream of automating everything is great until reality slaps you in the face. Here's why it's a terrible idea: Maintenance Overhead: The more ...

Picture this: You've been testing software for  over a decade , breaking things, filing bug reports, and perfecting your  "Are you sure you deployed the right build?"  face. Then, one day, you meet another tester at a conference who introduces themselves as a  "Software Development Engineer in Test (SDET)." "Cool," you think. "Must be a fancy new role." But as they describe their work, your eye twitches. They do exactly what you do. Congratulations! You just discovered that your job has at least  a dozen other names , and depending on the company, you could've been called something way cooler—like  Automation Ninja, AI Test Engineer, or Bug Whisperer. So, to make sure no QA engineer gets  stuck in a title silo forever , here's a breakdown of  serious, AI-driven, and downright hilarious QA job titles  that exist in the wild. The Classic QA Titles: The OGs of Testing These are the traditional roles that have stood the test of time. If y...

Introduction Once upon a time in the wild, wild world of software development, programmers wrote code, deployed it, and prayed it worked. Spoiler alert: it often didn't. From debugging literal moths in the 1940s to AI-driven quality assurance in the 2020s, the evolution of Software Quality Assurance (QA) has been one rollercoaster ride of broken code, existential crises, and heroic testers saving the day. But here's a fun fact many QA engineers learn way too late in their careers : There are dozens of different job titles for people who do testing! Many QA engineers spend a decade in their company's test silo, breaking things, filing bug reports, and perfecting their "This is fine" face—only to find out later that their role could've been called Software Development Engineer in Test (SDET), Automation Architect, Quality Evangelist, or even AI Test Engineer somewhere else. So, grab some popcorn (or a stress ball if you're a QA engineer), a...