The State of the QA Career: A Critical Perspective

Quality Assurance (QA) has always been a critical component of software development, yet its career trajectory has remained a topic of debate. In recent years, the job market for QA professionals has shifted, leading many to question the role’s future. While opportunities for developers have grown exponentially, the same cannot be said for QA. However, does this mean QA is becoming obsolete? The reality is more nuanced.

In this article, I will explain why this perception exists, the challenges QA faces, and how you can prepare so that you are on the safe side regardless.

The Misconception of QA’s Decline

There are several factors contributing to the misconception that QA field is declining. Those factors, as you will see, demonstrate that the field is transforming and calling for highly skilled QA Engineers.

Dev-QA Ratio

One of the reasons some perceive QA profession as declining is the lower availability of QA job opportunities when compared to Development jobs. Not only this is fostered by different market needs, the direct contributor to this striking difference is the Dev to QA ratio - teams are composed of group of developers to one QA Engineer. These are the common industry benchmarks:

• 1:3 (one QA tester for every three developers): An optimal balance for many teams.
• 1:4 (one QA tester for every four developers): A common and effective ratio in agile environments.
• 1:5 (one QA tester for every five developers): More common in teams with extensive automation and strong engineering quality practices.

The above means that for every 3 or 4 or 5 developer job posts, only one QA job post will be opened. Scale that to market size or city or country and you can see the difference. Given the size of available QA Engineers, the competition is high as the Supply is Higher than the demand. This factor calls for QA Engineers to continuously up skill themselves to stand out and demonstrate the skillset the market need.

Automation, DevOps, Shift Left

Many believe that QA is losing relevance due to automation, DevOps, and the shift-left testing movement. Companies are reducing their QA headcount, expecting developers to take on more testing responsibilities. While this approach may work in theory, in practice, it often results in suboptimal quality outcomes. Developers, despite their expertise, do not always have the same testing mindset or focus on quality risks as dedicated QA professionals do. That factor is demonstrating that rather than declining, QA is transforming to different skillsets. While it's true that companies are shifting towards automation and DevOps practices, this doesn't diminish QA's importance. Here's why:

• Testing mindset remains crucial: QA professionals bring a unique perspective focused on quality risks that developers, despite their skills, don't typically possess.
• Quality goes beyond testing: QA's role encompasses risk assessment, process improvements, and ensuring user satisfaction.

Having spoken about the factors behind the misconception, I will speak about what you need to prepare so that you secure your place. However, before I get to that point, let me talk about some challenges about the QA field and its professionals

Key Challenges Facing the QA Field and Its Professionals

Lack of Talent Scrutiny

One of the challenges in the QA field is the inconsistency in skill levels among professionals. Unlike developers, who are often rigorously evaluated on their coding abilities, QA professionals sometimes enter the field with minimal scrutiny. This leads to a talent pool where strong, skilled QA engineers are undervalued while weaker professionals contribute to the perception that QA is a lower-tier job. It's the sad reality. Many QA employees contributes to the wrong impression about the profession. Companies not only must enforce stricter hiring standards to ensure that QA remains a respected and valuable profession, but also implement stringent performance measures to weed out QA employees who don't thrive through competitive on-the-job upskilling efforts.

Lack of QA Leadership

Another issue plaguing the QA profession is the lack of leadership and strategic vision. Too often, QA is seen as a support function rather than an integral part of product development. Senior QA professionals need to step up, drive initiatives, and demonstrate the impact of quality on business success. This includes advocating for better testing strategies, aligning with business goals, and proving QA’s ROI to stakeholders. However, it's a chicken-egg problem. The scarcity of strong QA leadership capable of building robust quality structures—where QA professionals can thrive and advance—is largely due to companies providing limited space and empowerment for QA growth. This creates a cycle: QA professionals need strong leaders to empower them, but the lack of proper investment in their development means there are too few skilled and empowered QA professionals ready to step into leadership roles.

Challenges in QA Career Growth

One of the critical challenges in the QA career is progression. Many companies still view QA as a role focused on repetitive testing, often limiting investment in QA talent development. This stagnation can trap professionals in early career stages, preventing them from advancing into leadership roles.

This issue is compounded by a lack of structured career pathways within QA. Unlike software development, where engineers can move into senior engineering, architecture, or management roles, QA professionals often find themselves stuck in execution-based roles without clear advancement opportunities. Additionally, many organizations fail to provide mentorship, leadership training, or strategic involvement for QA teams, further stalling professional growth.

Without strong QA leadership to advocate for the field, the cycle perpetuates itself: QA professionals need empowered leaders to help elevate the role, but companies struggle to find experienced QA leaders because they have not invested in developing their own talent. To break this cycle, organizations must recognize QA as a strategic function, offering career development programs, leadership training, and opportunities for QA professionals to take on more influential roles in shaping software quality.

What You Can Do About That?

I have grown myself up the science and career ladder in the QA field not by anyone assigning me any role or giving me a promotion. I just stepped up to situations, dived deep, and solved problems, real problems. So my fundamental career tip to you won't be buy books and take courses in Test Automation. It is this:

Step up and solve problems in your role, team, or company.

Start by identifying and solving real problems within your own company. Instead of waiting for management to dictate improvements, proactive QA professionals should analyze inefficiencies, suggest process enhancements, and take initiative in driving quality improvements. The more you solve problems, the more you strengthen your analytical and investigative abilities, ensuring you become indispensable in assessing risks, improving processes, and driving quality improvements.

In many cases, to solve a particular problem you will need to prepare and read. That's totally fine; at the end of the day you want to solve problems by your knowledge, science and wisdom and not by trial and error or brute force. The key is to start by the problem; then, prepare with that narrowed down focus. By proactively developing their expertise and stepping up to solve problems, QA professionals can position themselves as indispensable assets rather than auxiliary team members.

The Future of QA

The QA profession is far from dead, but it is evolving. The need for high-quality software remains. QA professionals who adapt, refine their skills, and assert their value by stepping up and solving quality problems will continue to thrive. The key lies in shifting from being mere executors of tests to becoming quality champions who actively contribute to the success of their software products. As software complexity increases, so does the need for high-caliber QA professionals who can ensure seamless user experiences.