Turn requirements into test checks
Draft checks from a feature's requirements, each naming the expected result, like leaving a required form field blank.
Career profile
Software QA Analyst / Tester
Software testers find where programs fail and give programmers steps that recreate each problem.
Say an app shows "Saved," yet your edits disappear. In software quality assurance (QA), you dig into why and write a useful bug report.
A day in the life
Recreate the bug and log it
Retrace the failing steps, then log expected versus actual results in the bug tracker for a developer.
Retest the fix and nearby features
After a code change, rerun the failed test, then check nearby features for anything the change broke.
Turn clicks into a browser test
In browser testing, Playwright can turn your clicks into test code, and you add checks for expected results.
Quick facts
Bachelor’s degree typical
United States · 2025
$104,300/year
United States · May 2025
5.7% projected growth
United States · 2025–2035
Quick orientation
Preparation, pay & outlook
Preparation
Bachelor’s degree typicalEmployer requirements vary.
Pay
$104,300/yearNational median, equivalent to $50.14/hour.
Outlook
5.7% projected growthAbout 10,700 openings per year on average over 2025–2035.
Fit, tradeoffs & changing tools
You might like this if…
- You want to understand why a result changed.
- You like explaining a problem clearly enough that someone else can investigate it.
- You can stay attentive while checking small details.
Things to weigh
- Much of the day is spent sitting at a computer.
- Repeated checks can become tedious, and delivery deadlines can add pressure.
Where AI may help
Artificial intelligence (AI) tools can draft browser-test plans, generate test code, and attempt repairs when tests fail. Playwright offers these capabilities.
What people still lead
You judge whether the checks cover important failures and whether a changed test still checks the right behavior.
What we can’t predict yet
How much test maintenance teams can hand over remains unsettled: a tool may repair a test, skip it, or reach its limits before resolving the failure.
Pay in context
Earnings
The national median is $104,300 a year, or $50.14 an hour. That describes the whole occupation, not a starting offer.
The spread is wide
The 10th-percentile annual wage is $61,440; the 90th-percentile wage is $167,010. These mark positions in the pay distribution, not beginner and senior salaries.
Workplace type matters
Annual medians are $129,930 in manufacturing and $99,960 in computer systems design and related services. These industry averages do not determine an individual offer.
Openings include replacement hiring
Employment is projected to grow 5.7% from 2025 to 2035, with about 10,700 openings annually on average. Openings include replacing workers who leave the occupation; they are not all newly created jobs.
Getting started
Earn a relevant bachelor’s degree
- What the route involves
- Study computer and information technology or a related field such as engineering or mathematics.
- What it can lead to
- You meet the typical education level for entry into this occupation.
Target jobs accepting an associate degree
- What the route involves
- Complete an associate degree matched to the requirements of testing jobs you are considering.
- What it can lead to
- Some employers accept this education level for new hires.
- What to check
- Check each employer’s requirements before choosing a program.
A bachelor’s degree is the usual preparation, but some jobs accept shorter education routes.
After entry
Career paths
This starts where the entry routes leave off: early work, growing capability, and advancement or specialization.
Get established
Learn the product and the team’s reporting habits. Make your test results clear enough for another tester to repeat.
Build automation skills
Turn a familiar browser workflow into an automated test, then learn to adjust its code and expected-result checks as the application changes.
Own a testing strategy
Take responsibility for a release’s test plan, priorities, and remaining risks.
- Specialize in building and maintaining automated tests.
Where you can work
Contract app-testing teams
You may join a distributed team testing mobile apps. Contracts can have an end date, and remote work can still require shared core hours with the project team.
- Indoors
- Remote may be possible
Game-language testing teams
In this specialty, you check in-game text and voice with translation and writing staff. Language expertise matters, and several projects may compete for your attention before deadlines.
- Indoors
- Office
Try it
See whether the job clicks before you commit to the path.
Use a notes app with a disposable note. Write four checks for saving, editing, searching, and reopening it, including what should happen. Run them twice. If a result differs, write steps someone else could repeat. Notice whether investigating the mismatch interests you.
Stay safe: Use made-up text rather than personal information.
Sources
- O*NET OnLine. Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- O*NET OnLine / U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. National Wages: Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational projections and worker characteristics. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Software Developers, Quality Assurance Analysts, and Testers. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- Microsoft Playwright. Playwright Test Agents. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- Microsoft Playwright. Test generator. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- Testlio. QA Tester (Future Roles). Accessed 2026-10-03.
- Nintendo of America. Language QA Tester – Brazilian Portuguese. Accessed 2026-10-03.