How To Become A Quality Assurance Engineer: What It Is and Career Path

Q: How long does it take to become a Quality Assurance Engineer?

It takes 4 years of professional experience to become a quality assurance engineer. That is the time it takes to learn specific quality assurance engineer 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 engineer.

Q: Are QA engineers in demand?

Yes, QA engineers are in demand. As technology grows and dominates our lives, so will the need for roles like quality assurance engineers. Quality assurance engineers are one of the fastest-growing roles in technology, with less qualified people to perform the function than there are openings to hire.

Q: Do QA engineer jobs pay well?

Yes, QA engineer jobs pay well. The average salary for quality assurance engineers is around $96,000 a year. The quality assurance tester is considered an entry-level role for quality assurance engineers. They earn an average salary of $65,000 a year, though this can vary depending on experience and location.

Q: How much do QA engineers get paid?

QA engineers typically get paid $96,000 a year. This salary varies from a typical range of $90,000 to $100,000 for mid-career quality assurance engineers. Salary for quality assurance engineers does vary by experience and location, of course. Entry-level quality assurance engineers, typically quality assurance testers, earn about $65,000 to $70,000 a year.

Q: Is it hard to become a QA engineer?

Yes, it is hard to become a QA engineer. Depending on the career path, it typically takes one to four years to become a quality assurance engineer. The challenge of becoming a quality assurance engineer is learning the necessary coding languages, software, and hardware needed to perform this role. This takes a substantial initial investment of time and energy to learn.

Q: What degree do I need to be a QA engineer?

You will need a bachelor's degree in computer science to be a QA engineer. Other standard degree programs for a quality assurance engineer include information systems technology and software engineering.

Q: What does a quality assurance engineer do?

A quality assurance engineer maintains the quality of code written by other engineers. They explore potential problems and bugs in a program and resolve them before the code is pushed to production.

Q: What is the role of a QA engineer?

The role of a QA engineer is to ensure that new software products work before they are released to the customer. They will consult with managers on product goals, anticipate user behaviors and write software test cases.

What is a quality assurance engineer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

A quality assurance engineer ensures that software meets quality standards before being released. They work closely with software developers and product managers to develop testing plans and create test cases. They also analyze test results, identify defects and work with development teams to resolve issues. Quality assurance engineers have strong technical skills and attention to detail. They may also work to maintain testing automation frameworks and improve the quality of software development processes.

ScoreQuality Assurance EngineerUS Average

Salary

6.4

Avg. Salary $82,215

Avg. Salary $59,228

Diversity

4.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.51%

Asian 11.99%

Black or African American 6.24%

Hispanic or Latino 8.82%

Unknown 4.70%

White 67.73%

Gender

female 30.53%

male 69.47%

Age - 43

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43

Stress level

5.1

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.1

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.0

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a quality assurance engineer?

Pros

Opportunities to work with cutting-edge technology
Competitive salary and benefits
High demand for skilled quality assurance engineers
Opportunity for career growth and advancement
Continuous learning and development

Cons

Can be repetitive and tedious work
Can involve significant documentation and paperwork
May require dealing with difficult stakeholders or team members
Can be challenging to find and fix issues in complex software products
May require working with legacy systems or outdated technology

Key steps to become a quality assurance engineer

Explore quality assurance engineer education requirements

Most common quality assurance engineer degrees

Bachelor's

70.8 %

Master's

16.8 %

Associate

8.4 %

Start to develop specific quality assurance engineer skills

Skills	Percentages
Java	7.20%
Python	6.79%
Regression	4.52%
Jira	3.87%
API	3.74%

Complete relevant quality assurance engineer training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New quality assurance engineers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a quality assurance engineer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real quality assurance engineer resumes.

Research quality assurance engineer duties and responsibilities

Manage individual sprints user stories and tasks using TFS as tracking tool.
Create and maintain a test suite in ruby to automate a new events and notifications application.
Manage all ALM relate issues, user requests and customize the defect templates to cater to various project needs.
Provide overarching strategic recommendations for productivity improvements and achieve QMS - ISO certification.

Prepare your quality assurance engineer resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your quality assurance engineer resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a quality assurance engineer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable quality assurance engineer resume templates

Build a professional quality assurance engineer resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your quality assurance engineer resume.

Apply for quality assurance engineer jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a quality assurance engineer job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do quality assurance engineers rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Quality assurance engineer reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on May 2021

Pros

Defined Quality test procedure validated test components and planned integration tests for leading parts manufacture for industry. • Prepares and maintained important company quality control documentations such as quality manuals quality procedure, quality standards and quality assurance • Prepared the final inspection report before the dispatched for the machining process • Resolved machining department complaints, took preventive measure to prevent future complaints and clearly, documented all feedback, Mechanical Engineer for Third Party Inspection jobs in Baroda • Typically deals with several problems of the same time

A zippia user wrote a review on Oct 2020

Pros

I like testing because it can be interesting. Things can change but also stay the same. I like routine but not repetition doing the same thing. Testing isn't the best job but a good job.

Cons

Some things you test can be really picky to pass. It's likely they will always fail the first time. Some test seem to always pass and seek insufficient. I always look at productivity but also efficiency. So if not necessary by customer and always passes I can't see why a part of the test he removed especially if another part of the test will fail if it does. Options I am always open to.

A zippia user wrote a review on Jan 2020

Pros

Working with technology.

Cons

Automated testing is more in demand than manual testing.

Quality assurance engineer FAQs

What is a quality assurance engineer and how to become one

What are the pros and cons of being a quality assurance engineer?

Quality assurance engineer career paths

Key steps to become a quality assurance engineer

Explore quality assurance engineer education requirements

Most common quality assurance engineer degrees

Start to develop specific quality assurance engineer skills

Complete relevant quality assurance engineer training and internships

Research quality assurance engineer duties and responsibilities

Prepare your quality assurance engineer resume

Choose from 10+ customizable quality assurance engineer resume templates

Apply for quality assurance engineer jobs

How did you land your first quality assurance engineer job

Average quality assurance engineer salary

How do quality assurance engineers rate their job?

Quality assurance engineer reviews

Quality assurance engineer FAQs

How long does it take to become a Quality Assurance Engineer?

Are QA engineers in demand?

Do QA engineer jobs pay well?

How much do QA engineers get paid?

Is it hard to become a QA engineer?

What degree do I need to be a QA engineer?

What does a quality assurance engineer do?

What is the role of a QA engineer?

Search for quality assurance engineer jobs

Quality assurance engineer jobs by state