Why Most Testers Hit a Developmental Wall
The state of testing has changed. People can argue until they’re blue in the face about whether it’s as integral a part of software as it once was, or if testing overall is reaching its logical conclusion—some experts might even tell you that testing is dead.
What we can clearly say is that with automation, continuous integration, agile, and a slew of other testing innovations, the field has evolved into something new. However, one of the major issues that many testers are running into is that while the occupation itself is expanding, their own personal growth isn’t keeping pace.
Many testers hit a personal development wall and fail to get past the required training they need, which gives them the necessary skills to get weekly tasks done and nothing else. It’s all about what can be done today, tomorrow, and throughout a single project’s lifecycle, and that means that if new testing advances occur or more diverse skill sets are needed, testers won’t be prepared.
Jared Richardson, the principal consultant at Agile Artisans, explained to StickyMinds how most organizations fail to prepare their testers for the future.
“I think most organizations, most teams, they get stuck in the short-term delivery trap,” Richardson said. “It's, ‘Oh my gosh, this is what's going on, we have to work this problem, we have to work this release, we have to solve this,’ and they're so busy working individually as a team and as a company that nobody ever looks up.”
This problem isn’t exclusive to testing. It can be hard to find the time to think about what’s coming around the corner, and with modern jobs forcing regular employees to check email and complete tasks well after business hours, how can you find the time for personal development?
That’s why it’s critical to use your personal time to develop these skills. If your employer isn’t going to help you break through personal development barriers, the logical step is to do it yourself.
“The problem with most corporations today is quite often, they'll say you know what, the industry's moved past you, have a nice day, and they'll outsource your job, they'll lay you off,” Richarson continues. “They'll hire somebody with the right skill set. While I believe it's much more cost-effective to train as you go, I don't know that you can always trust your employer to do that and that puts the responsibility squarely on your own back to drive forward on a day-by-day basis.”
Competition is fierce—especially in the fast-moving world of technology. If you want to stay relevant as a tester, you need to study advances like CI, agile, and automation. By preparing yourself for what comes next, you make yourself invaluable within the testing world.
