?? Welcome to the Inaugural Edition of "Bug Busters Bulletin: Weekly Insights for Automation Professionals"

Hello and welcome to the first edition of Bug Busters Bulletin! ??

What an incredible way to wrap up 2024! I'm excited to share this with you today.

So, what exactly is this? It's a weekly roundup of the most relevant and impactful Software Testing news, personally curated by Divyarajsinh Dodia, and delivered straight to your inbox.

What can you expect? Links to insightful articles on software testing, test automation, cutting-edge tools, and much more. I’m committed to making this newsletter valuable for anyone passionate about software testing.

Got something you'd like featured in the next edition? Send me your link for consideration!

I'm thrilled to embark on this journey with you as we dive into the latest trends, tools, and insights in the ever-evolving world of software testing and QA automation.

This week I came across and intriguing question: Do you really need a tech background (or a degree) to succeed as a software tester?

It got me thinking.

I know many highly successful testers—how many of them have a degree in computer science or an engineering field? Surprisingly, not that many. But should that really be surprising?

I have a Master’s in Computer Science. Sure, it gave me a solid understanding of software engineering and helped me land my first internship. But did it truly prepare me for a career in software testing? Not really. Most of what I know today, I learned on the job.

As Christopher Null points out in his article on Computer Science degrees, there are now countless places to learn, and bootcamps have become the go-to alternative to traditional universities. They teach you exactly what you’ll need for real-world work.

So, while having a tech background can be helpful, a formal degree? Maybe not as much.

At the end of the day, it’s the skills that truly count.

Happy testing!

-- Divyarajsinh Dodia

NEWS

• 5 Things QA Engineers Can Do to Ace an Interview Preparing for a job interview? Johanna South offers insightful tips on how to perform your best. Read more

• From Dev to QA: Career Insights Jo?o Pires transitioned from backend development to QA and shares his journey and lessons learned along the way. Read the full story (Tip: Open in a private tab if you can't access the article.)

• Mobile App Testing Strategies Sam Connelly breaks down her mobile app testing strategy, complete with a 35-minute video presentation. Anna Senchenko also offers a detailed guide to crafting mobile app testing strategies. Read more

• Unpopular Opinions in Software Testing Angie Jones sparked a fascinating discussion by asking testers to share their unpopular opinions. This collection of responses offers fresh perspectives and challenges the status quo. Read more

• The Ultimate Guide to Organizing a Bug Bash Bug bashes are a great way to involve everyone in testing. Prashant Hegde explains how to run them effectively. Read more

AUTOMATION

• Are Assertions Optional in Automation Scripts? Paul Grizzaffi argues that automation can still provide value even when there’s nothing to assert. An interesting take on flexible testing. Read more

• Automating Tests for Back-End Systems Jennifer DiMatteo shares her insights on transitioning from UI to back-end testing automation. Read more

• Exploring Test Pipelines Maaret Pyh?j?rvi provides valuable insights into how exploratory testing fits into automation pipelines. Read more

• Keeping Tests Simple Bas Dijkstra demonstrates practical ways to simplify test scripts, complete with examples. Read more

• Why UI Test Automation Often Fails (Part 1) Zhimin Zhan explains how choosing the wrong automation framework can derail a project, using Microsoft as a case study. (Tip: Open in a private tab if you can't access the article.) Read more

TOOLS

• Playwright vs. WebDriver: The Future of Browser Automation Adam Tapper compares the features and limitations of Playwright against WebDriver to assess whether Playwright is ready to replace it. Read more

• Selenium or Selenide? Davit Danelia highlights the strengths of both frameworks and explains why he uses both in his work. Read more

• Testing API Calls with Insomnia Need an intuitive API testing tool? Check out Chris Bongers’ guide to getting started with Insomnia. Read more

?? Let’s Build a Community! I’ll be sharing actionable tips, industry news, and my personal experiences as part of my 365-day blog challenge on QA. Join me on this journey, share your thoughts, and let’s stay connected for all things QA.

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Until next time, keep automating!