How to Become a Quality Assurance Engineer: Step-by-Step Guide

Wondering how to become a Quality Assurance Engineer in today's competitive tech market? The QA engineer career path offers stability and growth as companies prioritize flawless digital experiences for their users. In 2025, QA professionals play a major role by preventing software defects from reaching customers, saving businesses both their reputation and revenue. These specialists design comprehensive test strategies, uncover hidden bugs, and ensure applications perform reliably across all environments.

Enrolling in software engineering courses provides an excellent foundation for aspiring QA professionals by combining technical fundamentals with practical testing methodologies. Ready to launch your QA career? Scroll down to understand how you can become a QA engineer with certification pathways to build a successful future.

How to Become a QA Engineer in 2025

The roadmap for becoming a Quality Assurance Engineer follows a structured path that progressively builds your knowledge and skills. 

If you are looking to upskill in the field of Quality Assurance and understand effective test scenarios, the following courses can help you learn in-demand skills:

• Professional Certificate Program in Cloud Computing and DevOps Course
• Master’s in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning - IIITB Program 
• Master of Design in User Experience

Each step prepares you for the challenges and responsibilities, from mastering test-case design techniques to integrating automated testing into CI/CD pipelines. While everyone's career path differs slightly, following these fundamental steps will help you learn how to become a Quality Assurance Engineer from scratch:

Step 1: Learn Core Testing Concepts

Quality Assurance begins with understanding fundamental testing principles that form the foundation of all QA work. Start by learning manual testing techniques, as these develop your critical thinking and bug detection abilities. These skills remain valuable even if you later specialize in automation. Additionally, you must:

• Study the software development lifecycle (SDLC) to understand where testing fits and how it contributes to product quality at each stage.
• Familiarize yourself with Agile methodologies, since most modern development teams follow these practices.
• Learn how testing integrates with sprints, user stories, and iterative development approaches. This knowledge helps you work effectively within development teams and understand testing timelines and priorities.
• Gain hands-on experience with basic testing tools like test case management systems and bug-tracking platforms.
• Practice writing clear, detailed test cases and bug reports that provide all necessary information for developers. These documentation skills demonstrate your professionalism and attention to detail, qualities highly valued in QA roles.

Also Read: Difference Between Testing and Debugging in Software Development

Step 2: Earn Certifications

Certifications validate your knowledge and show potential employers your commitment to the QA profession. You must choose certifications based on your experience level and the IT sector you aspire to work in. Here is a suggested certification path for QA Engineers:

• Start with the ISTQB Foundation Level certification, which covers testing concepts, terminology, and methodologies recognized worldwide. This credential creates a strong base for your testing career and frequently appears in job requirements.
• Add tool-specific certifications that align with market demands: 
  • Selenium certification proves your automation skills with this widely used framework. You can also refer to our Selenium tutorial to learn more about its implementation in QA.
  • JIRA certification demonstrates your proficiency with this popular project management tool. 
• Enroll in a performance testing certification if interested in load and stress testing or security testing credentials to target the cybersecurity field. 

Step 3: Apply for Roles

Now that you know how to become a Quality Assurance Engineer by completing your certifications and training, you must start applying for QA job roles. Follow these steps to begin your job-hunting and application process:

• Resume Building: Create a targeted resume that highlights your relevant education, certifications, and software testing projects, even personal or academic ones, if you lack professional experience. Quantify your achievements where possible. Mention metrics like the number of bugs you identified or the percentage of test coverage achieved through automation.
• LinkedIn Profile: Optimize your LinkedIn profile with QA-specific keywords to appear in recruiter searches. Join QA groups and follow companies where you want to work. Engage with content by commenting thoughtfully on testing discussions to build visibility in the QA community and demonstrate your knowledge.
• Interview Preparation: To increase your chances of employability, prepare for QA interviews by practicing common QA interview questions. You must describe your testing approach for sample applications and explain how you would write test cases for specific features. The interviewer will evaluate you based on both your technical knowledge and problem-solving abilities.

Master the fundamentals of Python today! Learn with upGrad’s Basic Python Programming free course to boost your technical skills in a QA engineering career.

Requirements to Become a QA Engineer

When exploring how to become a Quality Assurance Engineer, you will need a combination of education, technical skills, and practical experience. The path to this career offers multiple entry points depending on your background and career goals. Many professionals transition into QA from related fields, while others pursue it directly through specialized education.

Let's explore the key requirements, QA engineer skills, and steps to launch your career in the QA field.

QA Engineer Education Requirements

These educational pathways lay the groundwork for a successful Quality Assurance engineering career. Review the options below to determine which aligns best with your background and goals:

• Formal degrees in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Technology, or related fields
• Core curriculum covering programming principles, software development methodologies, and database management systems (DBMS). Refer to our DBMS tutorial to learn how it applies to the QA field.
• Alternative degrees supplemented by targeted coursework in software testing, programming languages, and quality methodologies
• Online learning platforms offering specialized software testing courses to build relevant knowledge
• Intensive 3-6 month bootcamps focused on software testing or QA automation
• Hands-on projects in bootcamps that enhance your portfolio for entry-level QA roles

Essential QA Engineer Skills

Quality Assurance requires a diverse set of abilities that combine technical expertise, testing knowledge, and interpersonal capabilities. Successful QA Engineers develop proficiency across multiple skill categories rather than focusing solely on technical aspects. This balanced approach allows them to find bugs more effectively and collaborate productively with development teams.

Here are the key Quality Assurance skills that you should develop:

Technical Skills

These skills enable efficient testing and help identify complex issues that manual testing might miss. These include:

• Test automation frameworks for scripting: Selenium and Cypress to automate repetitive test cases that speed up regression testing and reduce human error.
• Programming:  Languages like Python, Java, JavaScript to write and maintain custom test scripts or small utilities to extend testing capabilities.
• SQL and database knowledge: To craft queries that verify data integrity and perform back-end validation of application workflows
• API testing tools: These include Postman and SoapUI to validate endpoint responses, workflows, and error handling.

Testing Knowledge

Testing knowledge forms the core of QA work and ensures comprehensive coverage of application features. It includes:

• Test planning and design: Structuring test objectives and selecting the right techniques to cover all functional areas.
• Test case writing: Test case writing  for creating clear, reusable, and traceable test scenarios.
• Bug reporting: Documenting defects with steps to reproduce, expected vs. actual behavior, and relevant logs or screenshots.
• Test management tools: These include TestRail and Zephyr for organizing and tracking test execution, metrics, and historical results in a centralized system.

Soft Skills

Soft skills help identify subtle issues and communicate findings effectively to development teams. These include:

• Attention to detail: Organizing and tracking test execution, metrics, and historical results in a centralized system.
• Communication: Explaining complex bugs clearly in writing and discussing them effectively in cross-functional meetings.
• Problem-solving: Investigating root causes of failures and proposing practical, risk-based testing approaches.
• Team collaboration: Pairing with developers for exploratory testing and sharing insights to improve overall quality.

Process Knowledge

This knowledge allows seamless integration into modern software development teams and workflows. It includes:

• Agile methodology: Agile methodology helps with sprint planning, daily stand-ups, and retrospectives to keep testing aligned with delivery goals.
• DevOps practices: Working alongside operations to automate deployments and ensure environments mirror production.
• CI/CD pipelines: Integrating automated tests into build pipelines so that feedback on failures is immediate.
• Version control (Git): Version control (Git) skills let you branch, merge, and review test scripts alongside application code for traceability and collaboration.

Also Read: Must Have Skills for Software Tester [In-Demand QA Skills]

QA Engineer Certifications

Quality Assurance certifications validate your skills and knowledge, making you more competitive in the job market. These credentials demonstrate your commitment to professional standards and specialized expertise in testing methodologies. Let's explore the most valuable certifications for QA professionals at different career stages:

ISTQB (International Software Testing Qualifications Board)

ISTQB certification demonstrates standardized knowledge of testing methodologies and best practices across different software development approaches. It offers a globally recognized certification program with multiple advancement levels. These include:

• ISTQB Foundation Level (CTFL): Introduces testing concepts, terminology, and basic principles. It is suitable for beginners.
• ISTQB Agile Tester Extension: Teaches testing in agile teams, roles, and practices. It is ideal if your organization follows Scrum or Kanban. You can refer to our Scrum Agile tutorial to learn about its methodology.
• ISTQB Advanced Level: Builds upon foundational knowledge for those with more experience. It covers test analysis, test design, and test management in more depth.
• ISTQB Expert Level (Test Management / Improvement): Focuses on test process improvement, test strategy, and organizational test maturity.

CSQA (Certified Software Quality Analyst)

The CSQA certification from the Quality Assurance Institute (QAI Global Institute) focuses on quality processes and the management aspects of software testing. This mid-level certification covers quality models, metrics, risk analysis, and project management skills that complement technical testing abilities. 

CSQA certification appeals to professionals aiming for leadership positions in QA departments, as it emphasizes broader software quality assurance principles beyond just testing techniques. The certification requires professional experience in the field, making it suitable for QA practitioners looking to advance their careers.

Automation Tool Certifications

Specific automation tool certifications validate expertise with particular technologies used in QA automation. Examples include:

• Selenium certifications: You can learn the most widely used web automation framework, making you attractive to employers who rely on Selenium for their testing infrastructure.
• Appium Architecture for mobile testing:  This tool teaches you how to automate tests across iOS and Android platforms. Refer to our Appium Tutorial to learn its application in testing mobile applications.
• Vendor-specific certifications like AWS Testing: Help you gain knowledge of cloud-based testing services and infrastructure, positioning you for roles that work on cloud platforms for scalable testing solutions.

These targeted certifications demonstrate practical skills with tools commonly used in industry settings. Such tool-specific certifications can help candidates stand out for specialized QA automation roles that require proficiency in particular frameworks.

The table below lists the top certification courses that you can take to excel in the QA engineer career path:

Also Read: Best Software Development Courses for Beginners

Understanding the Role of a Quality Assurance Engineer

Quality Assurance (QA) Engineers work to ensure products function correctly, meet user needs, and deliver a smooth experience. They act as a bridge between development teams and end users by identifying and resolving issues before release.

Before understanding how to become a Quality Assurance Engineer, let's explore the key aspects of this rewarding career path:

What Does a QA Engineer Do?

QA Engineers take responsibility for the overall quality of software products through systematic testing and evaluation. They are integral to the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC), designing test plans that detail how to verify that each feature operates correctly. These plans include test cases with step-by-step instructions detailing what to test, expected results, and how to perform the test.

Let us look at the job responsibilities of the Quality Assurance engineer role:

• When executing tests, QA Engineers identify bugs (errors or flaws in the software) and document them precisely so developers can understand and fix the issues.
• They maintain bug tracking systems, prioritize defects based on severity, and verify fixes. 
• QAs also employ test case design techniques to ensure comprehensive coverage and effective validation by optimizing the process. 
• They establish quality standards by developing metrics and acceptance criteria that define when software is ready for release. 
• Further, they work closely with development teams throughout the software development lifecycle to ensure quality remains a priority from requirements gathering through deployment.

Types of Quality Assurance Engineers

Quality Assurance encompasses several specialized roles, each focusing on different aspects of software testing and quality control. These specializations allow QA teams to address various testing needs across the software development lifecycle. Let's examine the main types of QA Engineers you might encounter or aspire to become:

Manual Testers

Manual Testers excel at exploratory testing, which involves using their intuition and experience to find bugs that automated tests might miss.  Their job responsibilities include:

• Executing test cases without automated tools manually. 
• Navigating through applications as real users would.
• Checking functionality against requirements and identifying visual, usability, and logical issues. 
•  Providing valuable feedback on user experience aspects that machines cannot evaluate.

Automation Engineers

Automation Engineers create scripts and frameworks that perform repetitive tests without human intervention. Their job responsibilities include:

• Converting manual test cases into code that can run repeatedly with consistent results, allowing teams to test more frequently and thoroughly.
• Developing maintainable test code makes them valuable for projects requiring frequent releases or regression testing.
• Selecting appropriate testing frameworks and integrating automated tests into continuous integration pipelines.

Performance Testers

Performance Testers use specialized tools to simulate thousands of concurrent users, analyze bottlenecks, and provide recommendations for optimization. Their job responsibilities are:

• Evaluating how systems behave under various conditions and loads. 
• Designing tests to measure response times, throughput, resource utilization, and stability when applications face high user numbers or large data volumes. 
• Helping DevOps teams understand how their applications will perform in the real world, preventing costly failures after deployment.

DevOps-focused QA Engineers

DevOps-focused QA Engineers bridge the gap between development, operations, and quality assurance by embedding testing into continuous delivery pipelines. They implement testing strategies that support frequent and reliable releases while maintaining quality standards throughout the deployment process. You can learn more about this process through a DevOps tutorial. These specialists work with containerization, infrastructure-as-code, and monitoring systems to create environments where quality checks happen automatically at each development stage.

The table below summarizes the various types of QA engineers, their skills, and the tools they use:

Also Read: Most Asked Manual Testing Interview Questions: For Freshers & Experienced

Why Choose Quality Assurance Engineering?

In addition to knowing how to become a Quality Assurance Engineer, you must first understand why you should pursue this career path. It offers numerous advantages in the technology sector. The field combines technical challenges with the satisfaction of improving products that users depend on daily.

Let's explore three key reasons why QA Engineering stands out as a rewarding career choice:

Job Stability

The demand for QA Engineers remains strong across industries. As software becomes integral to business operations, organizations need qualified professionals to ensure product quality. This demand creates consistent job opportunities even during economic downturns. Many companies maintain dedicated QA teams as permanent staff rather than project-based roles, providing long-term career stability.

Remote Work Opportunities

QA Engineering offers excellent remote work possibilities. Since most testing activities can be performed using cloud-based tools and virtual environments, QA professionals often enjoy flexible work arrangements. This geographic freedom allows QA Engineers to work for companies worldwide without relocating, thereby creating a better work-life balance and expanding job options across different markets and time zones.

Role in Software Development Lifecycles

QA Engineers hold important positions in development teams. They serve as quality advocates throughout the entire software development process, from requirements analysis to post-release monitoring. By detecting issues early, they help reduce development costs and timeline delays. QA Engineers also provide valuable insights to improve future development processes, making them key contributors to product success.

Want to learn cloud computing for your QA career? Enroll in upGrad’s Fundamentals of Cloud Computing free course to learn about storage, databases, virtualization, and containers today!

QA Engineer Salary & Career Outlook 2025

To understand how to become a Quality Assurance Engineer, you must recognize the field’s rewards: competitive compensation packages and strong career prospects in the tech sector. As companies invest more in software quality, demand for skilled QA professionals continues to grow across industries. Let's examine what QA professionals can expect in terms of compensation and career opportunities.

Salary Trends in 2025

The compensation for QA Engineers varies based on experience level, location, industry, and specialized skills. Entry-level positions offer competitive starting salaries, while those with advanced automation skills and leadership experience command significantly higher compensation. Remote work options have also influenced salary structures, with some companies offering location-independent pay scales to attract top talent.

The table below lists the QA salary 2025 in India based on experience level:

Source: Glassdoor

Quality Assurance salaries also vary across industry sectors, depending on factors like technical complexity, regulatory requirements, and profit margins. With the growing need for automation, companies in cutting-edge fields offer higher compensation to attract QA talent with specialized skills. Traditional sectors may offer lower base salaries but often provide greater stability and more established career paths. 

The table below highlights the average annual compensation for QA Engineers across five major industry sectors in India:

Source: AmbitionBox

Also Read: QA Automation Engineer Salary in India: Career Growth, and Skills for Success in 2025

Career Growth Pathways

The QA profession offers multiple advancement paths depending on your interests and strengths. You might progress through technical specialization, leadership roles, or framework architecture. Each path requires different skills but builds on core testing knowledge. Let's explore the main career trajectories available to QA professionals:

Manual Tester to Automation Engineer

The journey often begins as a Manual Tester who executes test cases by hand and documents results meticulously. This progression increases your market value as you create scripts that execute tests faster and more consistently than manual approaches. This foundation builds strong testing intuition and a deep understanding of application behavior. 

You need the following skills for transitioning to Automation Engineer roles:

• Learning programming languages like Python or Java. You can refer to our Java Tutorial to brush up on your basics
• Mastering automation frameworks such as Selenium or Cypress.

QA Lead

The QA Lead manages testing teams and coordinates quality efforts across projects. This role requires strong technical skills and people management abilities to mentor junior testers and communicate with stakeholders. They require expertise in test planning, risk assessment, and process improvement.

The job responsibilities include:

• Developing test strategies 
• Allocating resources
• Serving as quality advocates when planning meetings

QA Architect

A QA Architect designs the overall quality strategy and testing infrastructure for organizations. They require extensive knowledge of various testing approaches and technical understanding to create testing ecosystems that balance thoroughness with efficiency. 

This senior role focuses on: 

• Building scalable and maintainable testing frameworks that support multiple projects and teams.
• Selecting tools, establish standards, and implementing best practices that align with business objectives. 

SDET (Software Development Engineer in Test)

SDETs earn salaries comparable to software developers while focusing their talents on improving product quality through advanced test engineering. This position requires strong programming skills and software architecture knowledge to develop sophisticated testing solutions. 

The SDET role blends development and testing skills, creating engineers who: 

• Build test automation frameworks and tools rather than just scripting individual tests.
• Write code that further tests code, often working alongside developers with similar technical proficiency. 

Future Trends in QA Engineering

The QA field continues to advance as new technologies change how testing is conducted. Staying informed about these trends helps you prepare for future job requirements and position yourself as a forward-thinking professional. Here are three key developments reshaping quality assurance work:

AI-Powered Testing

Artificial intelligence now enhances QA processes by identifying patterns in test results and automatically generating test cases based on application behavior. AI tools can analyze screenshots to detect visual regressions that might go unnoticed. These advances allow QA Engineers to focus on complex testing scenarios while AI handles repetitive verification tasks. 

Refer to our Artificial Intelligence tutorial to learn how to integrate AI tools with existing test suites and interpret their results effectively.

Continuous Testing in CI/CD Pipelines

Quality assurance now integrates seamlessly into continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD) workflows, with tests running automatically whenever code changes occur. This approach catches issues immediately after they are introduced, rather than during dedicated testing phases.

Modern QA Engineers need proficiency with pipeline tools like Jenkins, GitHub Actions, or GitLab CI to implement effective continuous testing strategies. The ability to design tests that provide fast, reliable feedback while maintaining sufficient coverage determines success in this fast-paced testing environment.

Test Automation with Cloud and ML Tools

Cloud-based testing platforms now enable teams to run thousands of tests across multiple configurations simultaneously. Machine learning algorithms can prioritize tests based on risk and past failure patterns to optimize test execution time.

Consider our ML tutorial to learn how it applies to test automation. To leverage these capabilities, QA professionals need skills in cloud service configuration and data analysis. This trend makes knowledge of cloud platforms like AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud a valuable addition to a QA Engineer's skill set.

Want to transition into a QA career? Start your journey with upGrad’s Introduction to Database Design with MySQL free course to master the fundamentals today!

Wrapping Up

Now that we have discussed how to become a Quality Assurance Engineer, it's important to understand the dedication this career requires. The path to becoming a QA Engineer offers rewards for those willing to develop both technical and interpersonal skills. This career provides stability, competitive salaries, and flexibility that few other technology roles can match.

Whether you start with manual testing fundamentals or dive directly into automation, the field welcomes diverse backgrounds and learning approaches. Quality assurance work makes a real difference in how people experience technology every day. Your attention to detail prevents bugs and errors from reaching users, increasing the product's reliability and user satisfaction.

Ready to start your QA career journey? Contact upGrad today for specialized training programs that will prepare you for success in this growing field!

Boost your career with our popular Software Engineering courses, offering hands-on training and expert guidance to turn you into a skilled software developer.

Explore our Popular Software Engineering Courses

Master in-demand Software Development skills like coding, system design, DevOps, and agile methodologies to excel in today’s competitive tech industry.

In-Demand Software Development Skills

Stay informed with our widely-read Software Development articles, covering everything from coding techniques to the latest advancements in software engineering.

Read our Popular Articles related to Software