We will probably say an extremely obvious thing now, but it’s so important that we can’t just skip it. So, a QA tester is NOT the same profession as a developer. They need different skills! However, they are equally vital for the success of your project.
Finding an experienced tester is not an easy task to complete. These guys progress like characters in computer games. They start from the level 0, when they have virtually no skills, armor, and weapon, and level up until they become true professionals. This is how their career path may look like:
Not even a tester yet. Each of us can be a tester. Really, everyone sometimes finds a bug just by accident. This is the first step for most testers – detecting problems without even being a tester.
Almost a tester. A person who knows something about software testing and tries to find bugs on purpose.
A tester. A person who understands the basics of testing. These guys are already able to follow the documentation or even develop their own strategies. They have more ambitious goals – they don’t only look for bugs, but also control the quality of the product.
An advanced tester. A person who REALLY knows what to do. They already have such useful skill as preventing bugs from occurring.
A proactive tester. They don’t only work but also try to improve the working process.
A professional. When testers reach this level, they already have a superpower to detect bugs right after they take a look at the code and check the changes.
A guru. Being a guru tester means an ability to deal with any project. These guys don’t even suffer when they move from one company to another. They are so experienced that there is probably no challenge they won’t be able to get through.