If you look at artificial intelligence (AI) as the next big tool that can take your testing over the top rather than an inevitable replacement, the future of the profession becomes much brighter. Testing is changing, but for the foreseeable future, real testers still need to be closely involved.

Testers today need to look more like developers than users. Automation is becoming essential, so understanding at least basic programming is a must. As companies adopt agile and deliver more frequently, modern testers should learn to code, understand continuous integration, and use tools to eliminate constraints.

"Why do we test software?" seems like a silly question—most people would say, “So we know it works, duh." But there are many other reasons we test our products, as well as many possible benefits besides confirming that a system does what we intended it to do. Figuring out the purpose behind your tests is illuminating.