A day in the Life of a Software Test Engineer
July 2022: A day in the life of Kay, a Software Test Engineer
My name is Kay and I’m a Software Test Engineer. A Software Test Engineer is the person in the software development team who tests out the code and functionality that the developers have written, to verify that everything works the way it should (and not the way it shouldn’t!) before it is signed off. We make sure that what has been created meets the needs of the end user, that it works and also feed any improvements back to the developers.
I’ve been doing my job for just over two years now – I was working in an admin role for a bank before this, but I got the opportunity to spend a year working in the IT department and there I met some Software Testers. Through chatting to them, I realised I really wanted to be a tester too, so I went back to university to study an MSc in Computer Science followed by another MSc in Computer Security, then applied to Scott Logic’s Graduate program.
It’s 9am and since the pandemic changed the way we work, I now mostly work from home, so I commute to my home office to start my day. The first thing I do is look at my calendar to see what my day looks like in terms of meetings – then I check my emails and look at any notes I made yesterday about things I needed to do today.
I log into the company’s message app, say good morning to the team I’m working with who are dispersed around a couple of our company’s offices, and I look through our team’s online task-management board so I can see the work the developers are currently doing, that way I’m aware of what will need tested next.
I love constantly learning new things, so for me, software testing is the ideal role because I’m constantly learning about new technology, and everything I test is slightly different to the last thing, it means that my work never becomes too routine.
A colleague in the online chat says he is having a problem with something and I know the solution, so I tell him how to fix it, I’m pleased that even though I’m no expert on what he’s asking about, I can still offer help.
Short meetings called ‘stand-ups’ are part of a development team’s daily life, so because hybrid working is so popular now, we meet via a video calling app, to discuss what we did the day before, what we plan to do today, and anything which blocks our work. It also gives everyone a chance to have a chat and a laugh when somebody’s dog or cat decides to join in the meeting.
After my meetings, I make myself a coffee and have a quick chat to one of the people I live with, then head back to my desk to find out what’s next.
One of the developers has finished working on a piece of code and it’s ready to test, so I read the original brief for that piece of work, consider the possible testing scenarios, then I have a call with the developer, and he talks me through what he’s done and tells me anything I need to look out for while I test. I ask him any questions I have and the call ends, but I know I can send him a quick message or make another call any time I need to ask anything further.
Before I know it, its lunchtime! I make myself a sandwich and then take a walk around the block for some fresh air and exercise, because my job involves a lot of sitting down.
In the afternoon, I continue the morning’s testing – I need to set up various processes I have never used before in order to finish, so I check with the more experienced tester on the team, and he quickly calls me and shares his screen so I can see what I need to do. Then I work through the list of scenarios I drew up earlier as well as checking that it meets all the agreed needs.
I finish testing the work – I run my findings past the developer, and I update the task board to say that testing has been signed off.
It’s getting quite late in the day now, but I have just under an hour left, so I pick up another newly completed piece of work which needs to be tested – I can’t get it finished today but I can get a head-start, so I have a quick chat to the developer who completed it.
It’s Friday today so before I finish work for the week, I send a message to my team wishing them a good weekend, before I power down and close the lid on my laptop until Monday.
I hope that gives you a good insight into what a typical day for a Software Test Engineer looks like!
Your questions answered!
Question 1- Hello Kay, I found your Day in life very interesting and fascinating. I wanted to ask how you came across Scott Logic’s Graduate program and if you found any challenges while applying to them? From Sabrina
Many universities have ongoing links with local companies, who run or sponsor events for students to participate in, so Scott Logic was a company I was already aware of through these university events. After graduating, I searched the Scott Logic website to see what kind of jobs they had available and found out about the graduate scheme.
The graduate scheme is quite straightforward to apply to, of course much like applying to any job they do vary, but for me, the main challenge was the interviews, as I hadn’t done one for such a long time. I think everyone finds interviews daunting, no matter how many you’ve been to, but my interviewers were nice and friendly and that put me at ease very quickly.
You can also get help preparing for interviews via university careers services. They have advisers who help with completing job applications and getting ready for job interviews which is really useful!
Question 2- What courses can you study at uni to get your job?
For my job, you can study a related subject like Computer Science, but you can also study any STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) subject such as Maths, Physics, Chemistry, Engineering, or even something like Archaeology or Geography, as long as you’ve got an interest in computing/engineering and enjoy learning.
The great thing about a graduate scheme is that you aren’t expected to know everything when you start – as long as you have the aptitude, enthusiasm and plenty of willingness to learn, you will begin to develop your skills and experience on the scheme.
Question 3- Are there many other women that work at your company and in the software area? If not, how do you find this?
In the two and a half years that I have worked at Scott Logic, the number of women working here has grown quite a lot already! It’s great to see more and more women getting into software as a career and having such an inclusive company culture plays a big part in this.
Even when I have worked on a project team with only men, I’ve never felt like I was treated differently, everyone respects each other and the ideas and perspectives they bring to the team.
Question 4- What do you want for yourself next in your career?
For myself, I want to grow my skills, learn new technologies and become the best Software Tester that I can possibly be. I would also love to help other people to grow their careers too possibly by being a mentor, but also as someone who is always approachable for ideas and input.