Need advice. Technical Support to QA Analyst. How?

baseball1988

Hello everyone,

I spent 4-5 years in school and graduated with a bachelor degree in MIS. Initially, my career goal was to get into technical support and move up within the company. I finally realized that software/application support wasn't for me. The IT support route and specializing in areas like networking, databases, servers, and mainframes no longer interest me. I don't see myself being on call 24/7, dislike the fact that I'm on the phone for 5 hrs+ per day, terrible work hours, and etc. IT is a great field but I feel like it's more of a "job' than a "career".

I looked into other areas of IT. I'm interested in becoming a "Software Quality Assurance Analyst", "QA tester" or "Test Analyst". This type of job fits my personality very well. The main issue is that I don't know how to get there. I've been told that programming knowledge is required but others say it's not. I took the initiative and registered a course in programming and I'm also in the process of self-studying to get the QA software testing certificate.

Most employers want to hire people with industry experience in QA. I don't have any. I can study the material on my own and pursue certifications at max. But, how can I get an entry level job in QA? Employers look for 2-3+ years of industry experience? How to bridge from technical support to QA? Anyone here can share your experience?

Here is an example of the job I'm seeking for: Junior Quality Assurance Analyst | NORAMTEC/GSA SEARCH CONSULTANTS/MECHANICAL DESIGN ASSOCIATES | Workopolis

Thank you.

networker050184

Same way you get into any other entry level job, find someone willing to take a chance on you. Most jobs want someone with experience, thats just the way it is. Everyone gets their start somewhere though. Work on your resume and apply away. You will get a break eventually, it will take some patience though.

Also, it sounds like you are just sick of the entry level side of IT. Once you move up you can move away from the on call, taking phone calls and crappy hours. There is so much more to the world of IT it just takes some time to get up there.

Good luck!

uberkenshin

Although it is a roundabout way, you could go into a company that you know has a QA team and work your way into it.

Ideally, you could go work for a startup, or even smaller web-based companies, which almost always have a QA tester or even an entire team.

I had a job where I was offered a QA position because the company decided that the IT helpdesk was becoming overwhelmed with constantly troubleshooting and testing web applications for the company along with the normal helpdesk issues. They hired a QA manager that saw the work I was already doing without having the proper industry tools.

That wouldn't have been possible unless you show people that you have the knack for QA methodologies. Learning the software is something that can always be taught.

For me, I was also heavily involved in the testing because I had web experience. That understanding (which could be said for learning a programming langauge) gives you the insight of development.

I'd say, apply for those jobs anyway. Since you have the helpdesk background, it definitely would help since you know what it's like to hunt down issues and then apply that knowledge to testing. A lot of entry level QA jobs will say x years experience, but given the right mindset and willingness to learn, they can teach you how to use the software. You'd be surprised how many similarities there are between helpdesk and QA.

I hope that gives you some ideas.

baseball1988

networker050184 wrote: »

Same way you get into any other entry level job, find someone willing to take a chance on you. Most jobs want someone with experience, thats just the way it is. Everyone gets their start somewhere though. Work on your resume and apply away. You will get a break eventually, it will take some patience though.

Also, it sounds like you are just sick of the entry level side of IT. Once you move up you can move away from the on call, taking phone calls and crappy hours. There is so much more to the world of IT it just takes some time to get up there.

Good luck!

Thanks. That's right. I'm not enjoying entry level IT work. I'm not planning to go through the IT path anymore (desktop support, help desk, windows administrator, network, security, database admin, etc). Lost interest in these areas. Decided to get into QA and work my way to becoming a Business Systems Analyst (BSA).

uberkenshin wrote: »

Although it is a roundabout way, you could go into a company that you know has a QA team and work your way into it.

Ideally, you could go work for a startup, or even smaller web-based companies, which almost always have a QA tester or even an entire team.

I had a job where I was offered a QA position because the company decided that the IT helpdesk was becoming overwhelmed with constantly troubleshooting and testing web applications for the company along with the normal helpdesk issues. They hired a QA manager that saw the work I was already doing without having the proper industry tools.

That wouldn't have been possible unless you show people that you have the knack for QA methodologies. Learning the software is something that can always be taught.

For me, I was also heavily involved in the testing because I had web experience. That understanding (which could be said for learning a programming langauge) gives you the insight of development.

I'd say, apply for those jobs anyway. Since you have the helpdesk background, it definitely would help since you know what it's like to hunt down issues and then apply that knowledge to testing. A lot of entry level QA jobs will say x years experience, but given the right mindset and willingness to learn, they can teach you how to use the software. You'd be surprised how many similarities there are between helpdesk and QA.

I hope that gives you some ideas.

Thanks for sharing your experience. I currently work at a company that does have a QA team. However, there opportunities here are limited. Very rare to move from a technical support position to the QA dept (Probably 1 QA position available every 2-3 years) at this company. I'll start looking at other organizations and hope to land something solid. Thanks for the advice.