How to Become a Quality Assurance Analyst

It takes 4 years of professional experience to become a quality assurance analyst. That is the time it takes to learn specific quality assurance analyst skills, but does not account for time spent in formal education. If you include the normal education requirements to complete a college degree, then it takes 7 to 9 years years to become a quality assurance analyst.

Yes, you typically need at least a bachelor's degree to become a QA Analyst. Most quality assurance analysts have a degree in computer science, information technology, or mathematics, such as statistics.

Gaining a traditional degree often opens more opportunities for those looking to make progress as a QA analyst. Most traditional computer science or information technology degrees offer a more structured curriculum that ensures most required points are learned. This is the most recommended education path.

Instead of traditional education, however, some QA analysts have gotten their education from certifications and through mentorships. However, these requirements are often relaxed based on employer specifications.

Computing and software interaction basics are often great places to start when considering education and employment as a QA analyst, as those are the most prominent job tasks.

QA analysts make roughly $72,800 per year. Those just starting as a QA analyst with minimal experience may make less at approximately $61,500. It's not uncommon for a seasoned QA Analyst to make around $125,000 annually.

A QA analyst's final pay relies on the company, location, and experience in the field. Some companies may pay upward of $83,000 for a QA analyst position, while others may be more frugal with a $48,000 starting salary.

Likewise, depending on the state, a quality assurance analyst of moderate experience may be given more. For example, an analyst in Sunnyvale, CA, may receive an annual pay of $90,300, while an analyst in Dickinson, ND, makes about $7,000 less at $83,400 per year.

Quality analysts make $68,000 a year, on average ($32.75 an hour). How much a quality analyst can make ranges from $56,000 to $82,000 a year. A senior quality analyst can earn around $92,000 a year, while a lead quality analyst earns close to $100,000.

Other factors such as location and industry impact how much a quality analyst makes.

Highest-Paying States for Quality Analysts:

• District of Columbia averages $77,901 a year ($37.45 an hour)

• Maryland averages $77,683 a year ($37.35 an hour)

• New Hampshire averages $77,034 a year ($37.04 an hour)

• New Jersey averages $75,732 a year ($36.41 an hour)

• Connecticut averages $74,062 a year ($35.61 an hour)

Lowest-Paying states for quality analysts:

• Louisiana averages $47,684 a year ($22.93 an hour)

• Montana averages $47,708 a year ($22.94 an hour)

• Kansas averages $48,977 a year ($23.55 an hour)

• Wyoming averages $49,303 a year ($23.70 an hour)

• Vermont averages $50,632 a year ($24.34 an hour)

Quality Analyst Salary By Industry:

• Health Care averages $76,815 a year

• Technology averages $74,280 a year

• Finance averages $70,319 a year

• Manufacturing averages $69,279 a year

Yes, QA Analyst is a good job. Many within the profession rank it as one of the most reliable tech positions with plenty of room for growth within the software and tech fields.

Salaries are reported as being heavily competitive, with minimal time needed for training with the right pre-qualification, such as certifications or a degree. While the job can be mundane at times, many QA analysts report, especially in the manual testing arena, it is not stressful. There are also opportunities for advancement.

The next step from QA analyst is typical to senior QA analyst and QA manager, though lead software specialist is a close second. These promotions come with significant raises in salary and more job security, as QA is needed in various fields with an undersaturated applicant pool.

The five main responsibilities of a quality analyst are:

• Auditing software and user-facing projects,

• Maintaining control systems,

• Troubleshooting failures within the testing environment,

• Creating and managing user experience and testing documentation, and

• Ensuring the software is fully functional before public production.

Quality analysts are also responsible for meeting with team members to ensure all protocols are up-to-date, making appropriate recommendations, and eventually training and overseeing other quality analysts.

Quality analysts need to have a working knowledge of programming languages since they will be dealing primarily with software and DevOps teams. Another core skill for the quality analyst position is the ability to communicate effectively while problem-solving.

To work in quality assurance, you need at least a bachelor's degree. To become a quality assurance specialist, you will need at least a bachelor's degree in computer science or business management. These courses will help hone your troubleshooting and quality testing skills to discover possible flaws in a product.

Some smaller companies may only require an associate's degree or no degree at all, but the majority will expect you to have some amount of software experience or background.

It is possible to become a QA Tester without any formal education, assuming you have somewhere between 3-6 years of software testing experience, though this is not enough to qualify you as a quality assurance specialist.

The requirements to be a quality assurance analyst are a degree in a computer-related or mathematics field, extensive communication and problem-solving skills, and knowledge of native coding languages.

Some employers may not require the degree and may offer the position to a budding quality assurance analyst based on prior experience and certifications either gained or in progress.

For prospective quality analysts, finding an internship or volunteer work will help them gain experience for an entry-level position.

Likewise, getting an entry-level quality position where the prospective quality assurance analyst can grow and learn from a senior analyst is another viable and often sought-after option. This is typically the best way to advance into a quality assurance analyst position.

If you've already started your career as an IT professional with some knowledge of native languages but want to transition, typically, going from one computing department to quality assurance is an easy feat.