Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers

People in this career often have these skills:

• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Programming - Writing computer programs for various purposes.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

• Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

People in this career often know a lot about:

• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

People in this career often have talent in:

• Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.

• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
• Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.

People in this career often do these activities:

• Develop testing routines or procedures.
• Compile technical information or documentation.
• Report maintenance or equipment problems to appropriate personnel.
• Analyze data to identify or resolve operational problems.
• Troubleshoot issues with computer applications or systems.
• Document operational activities.

• Collaborate with others to determine design specifications or details.
• Document design or development procedures.
• Develop detailed project plans.
• Test computer system operations to ensure proper functioning.
• Test software performance.
• Monitor computer system performance to ensure proper operation.
• Manage documentation to ensure organization or accuracy.
• Recommend changes to improve computer or information systems.
• Create databases to store electronic data.
• Install computer software.
• Develop performance metrics or standards related to information technology.
• Provide customer service to clients or users.
• Analyze data to identify trends or relationships among variables.
• Read documents to gather technical information.
• Evaluate utility of software or hardware technologies.
• Collaborate with others to resolve information technology issues.

• Computer Systems Analysts

• Information Security Analysts

• Computer Network Architects

• Database Administrators

• Computer Programmers

• Web Developers

• Web Administrators

• Computer Systems Engineers/Architects