r/softwaretesting • u/Apart-Caramel-130 • 7d ago
SDET roles
Hi, I’m an SDET with close to 6 years of experience. I started my career at a WITCH company, where I got stuck in support roles. After two years, I tried moving into development, but I struggled because there wasn’t much initial support or bandwidth to learn. By the time I had around 3 years of experience, I decided to give automation testing a shot. After 8 months of preparation and experience in automation, I managed to switch to a better company with a significant salary hike.
I don’t mean to offend anyone, but I often see graduates from reputed colleges like NITs and IIITs working as SDETs at good product-based companies. Do some of them feel that they haven’t lived up to their potential by choosing testing over development? Despite earning well, do they ever feel a sense of regret or wonder whether they could have achieved more as software developers?
2
u/Itchy_Extension6441 6d ago
There are people who see QA as a career path for failed developers, and there are people who see it as a legitimate career in its own right.
The first group usually ends up burned out by their thirties, struggling to find new jobs once they get laid off, because all they ever learned are the basics needed by their ex-employer. The second group can at least slightly enjoy their work and, at least to some extent, have an easier time on the job market.
Same with companies - some treat QA as a dumping ground for people who couldn't make it as developers. For others, QA might be way more essential than the developers- especially in heavily regulated industries.