These experts are in charge of validating the behavior of an application and reviewing the requirements of the clients. They develop and implement functional test plans and test cases. They scan the receiver ID, check for defects and damages, and test the units to ensure proper working conditions.
Furthermore, they write serial numbers on the production track sheet, identify bugs and monitor defect tracking systems. Likewise, they update test plan status. Also, they help with researching and analyzing existing systems and program requirements.
To become a functional tester, you need a bachelor's degree in a related discipline with at least five years of prior work experience in a related role. You must be conversant with software functioning testing processes and methodologies.
The skills for this position are problem-solving and analytical skills. Functional testers are paid $72,988 on average per year, which is $35.09 per hour. Their salary falls between $59,000 and $88,000.
What is a Functional Tester?
What Does a Functional Tester Do
When it comes to the most important skills required to be a functional tester, we found that a lot of resumes listed 10.7% of functional testers included java, while 5.6% of resumes included test cases, and 4.8% of resumes included web application. Hard skills like these are helpful to have when it comes to performing essential job responsibilities.
How To Become a Functional Tester
If you're interested in becoming a functional tester, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 62.3% of functional testers have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 19.3% of functional testers have master's degrees. Even though most functional testers have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Functional Tester Career Paths
In addition to switching up your job search, it might prove helpful to look at a career path for your specific job. Now, what's a career path you ask? Well, it's practically a map that shows how you might advance from one job title to another. Our career paths are especially detailed with salary changes. So, for example, if you started out with the role of quality assurance lead you might progress to a role such as project manager eventually. Later on in your career, you could end up with the title vice president of information technology.
Average Salary for a Functional Tester
What Am I Worth?
States With The Most Functional Tester Jobs
Mouse over a state to see the number of active functional tester jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where functional testers earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.
Number Of Functional Tester Jobs By State
| Rank | State | Number of Jobs | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 3,095 | $83,694 |
| 2 | Texas | 1,091 | $76,275 |
| 3 | Florida | 941 | $67,649 |
| 4 | Virginia | 912 | $76,696 |
| 5 | New York | 663 | $76,662 |
| 6 | Massachusetts | 653 | $79,051 |
| 7 | Pennsylvania | 602 | $77,086 |
| 8 | Illinois | 570 | $74,553 |
| 9 | Washington | 564 | $87,898 |
| 10 | North Carolina | 505 | $76,598 |
| 11 | Ohio | 501 | $73,188 |
| 12 | New Jersey | 484 | $79,656 |
| 13 | Georgia | 469 | $73,639 |
| 14 | Maryland | 468 | $85,372 |
| 15 | Colorado | 420 | $75,980 |
| 16 | Arizona | 395 | $78,199 |
| 17 | Utah | 392 | $67,524 |
| 18 | Michigan | 355 | $70,261 |
| 19 | Minnesota | 315 | $70,380 |
| 20 | Wisconsin | 314 | $67,982 |
| 21 | Oregon | 297 | $81,395 |
| 22 | Indiana | 296 | $70,470 |
| 23 | Alabama | 221 | $72,358 |
| 24 | Connecticut | 217 | $81,874 |
| 25 | Tennessee | 192 | $69,680 |
| 26 | Missouri | 191 | $71,839 |
| 27 | Arkansas | 147 | $61,981 |
| 28 | Kentucky | 134 | $72,243 |
| 29 | Iowa | 134 | $70,398 |
| 30 | Kansas | 113 | $71,376 |
| 31 | Louisiana | 109 | $74,289 |
| 32 | South Carolina | 104 | $71,730 |
| 33 | Nebraska | 104 | $69,613 |
| 34 | New Mexico | 99 | $63,600 |
| 35 | Rhode Island | 98 | $82,386 |
| 36 | Nevada | 95 | $73,341 |
| 37 | New Hampshire | 92 | $81,274 |
| 38 | Oklahoma | 92 | $73,192 |
| 39 | Idaho | 85 | $75,038 |
| 40 | Vermont | 68 | $75,851 |
| 41 | West Virginia | 68 | $71,339 |
| 42 | Delaware | 64 | $77,199 |
| 43 | Montana | 63 | $73,132 |
| 44 | Mississippi | 58 | $71,681 |
| 45 | North Dakota | 50 | $73,893 |
| 46 | Maine | 45 | $66,110 |
| 47 | Wyoming | 37 | $76,325 |
| 48 | South Dakota | 36 | $73,319 |
| 49 | Hawaii | 34 | $78,566 |
| 50 | Alaska | 27 | $78,082 |
Top Colleges for Functional Testers
1. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA • Private
3. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
4. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
5. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
6. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
7. California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
Pomona, CA • Private
8. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
9. Minnesota State University - Mankato
Mankato, MN • Private
10. Western Carolina University
Cullowhee, NC • Private
Choose From 10+ Customizable Functional Tester Resume templates
Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Functional Tester templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Functional Tester resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.
Functional Tester Demographics
Functional Tester Gender Distribution
After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
- Among functional testers, 34.7% of them are women, while 65.3% are men.
- The most common race/ethnicity among functional testers is White, which makes up 71.1% of all functional testers.
- The most common foreign language among functional testers is Spanish at 27.0%.
Work Experience Programs For Functional Testers
Virtual work experience programs replicate work at top companies and help you gain the skills to be successful when applying and working there. In only a few hours, learn the relevant tools necessary to complete a typical work day at that company. Virtual work experience programs are 100% free, open-access, and self-paced. No experience or application is required!
Company: General Electric
Cost: Free
Duration: 5-6 hours
Company: Clifford Chance
Cost: Free
Duration: 7.5-8.5 hours
Company: Accenture Australia
Cost: Free
Duration: 5-6 hours
Company: Accenture North America
Cost: Free
Duration: 5-6 hours
Company: Tata
Cost: Free
Duration: 3.5-4.5 hours
Company: JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Cost: Free
Duration: 4-5 hours
Online Courses For Functional Tester That You May Like
Learn the fundamentals of HP-UFT Functional Automation...
Become an expert automation tester through this award winning HP Quick Test Professional (QTP)/ UFT course...
Automation testing with HP Unified Functional Testing with Vb Script and Framework...
Best States For a Functional Tester
Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a functional tester. The best states for people in this position are Washington, Maryland, California, and Rhode Island. Functional testers make the most in Washington with an average salary of $87,898. Whereas in Maryland and California, they would average $85,372 and $83,694, respectively. While functional testers would only make an average of $82,386 in Rhode Island, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.
1. Washington
$87,898
Avg. Salary
2. Rhode Island
$82,386
Avg. Salary
3. New Hampshire
$81,274
Avg. Salary
How Do Functional Tester Rate Their Jobs?
Top Functional Tester Employers
Most Common Employers For Functional Tester
| Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Microsoft | $106,531 | $51.22 | 12 |
| 2 | AT&T | $102,843 | $49.44 | 10 |
| 3 | TSYS | $99,335 | $47.76 | 11 |
| 4 | Humana | $97,612 | $46.93 | 13 |
| 5 | MetLife | $96,562 | $46.42 | 12 |
| 6 | HMSA | $92,352 | $44.40 | 10 |
| 7 | Jabil | $87,874 | $42.25 | 30 |
| 8 | Hewlett Packard Enterprise | $86,748 | $41.71 | 12 |
| 9 | Plexus | $86,423 | $41.55 | 9 |
| 10 | Bank of America | $86,045 | $41.37 | 10 |