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Career growth — now there’s an oxymoron if ever there was one. It sounds straightforward, but in truth, it’s anything but linear. Throw software testing into the mix, and it becomes a cocktail of curiosity, resilience, and, at times, a dash of madness. My own journey in testing has been nothing short of fascinating—peppered with moments of humour, the occasional existential question, and plenty of “a-ha” realisations.
About a decade ago, I was working in consulting as a Senior Testing Manager. I walked into my Business Unit (BU) Head’s desk and asked the question we have all asked at some point in our careers: What’s next for me? He paused, smiled (always a dangerous sign), and said, “Well, that depends. In consulting, it’s all outcome-based.” A polite way of saying: it all comes down to how much value you create and, quite bluntly, how much you can charge the client per day. Growth, therefore, isn’t just about climbing the corporate ladder—it’s about proving your worth in business terms, not just bug counts.
And that’s when the penny dropped. You see, software testing is unlike many other fields. Some roles are simply irreplaceable—technical experts, specialists with decades of scars earned in performance, security, infrastructure or accessibility testing. Those unicorns exist, but they are rare. I once saw a Senior Test Manager resign and, for nearly two years, we could not fill the role. Why? Because the depth of skill and breadth of experience required was simply not available in the market. The company eventually re-hired the very same person when he returned. Sometimes, the circle of life really does play out in IT departments.
My BU Head’s advice back then was to consider diversifying into roles that “contribute to the business,” such as becoming an Engagement Manager or a Product Owner. Sensible advice, but not always music to the ears of someone deeply passionate about testing. It felt a bit like telling a Michelin-starred chef to run the restaurant accounts instead of creating dishes. Important? Yes. Satisfying? Perhaps not.
The other option, of course, was to grow vertically within the testing profession itself—become a known figure, a subject matter expert, a voice in the industry. That, I realised, was a more natural path for me. And testing, believe it or not, is one of the few careers that gives you the chance to experience the full software lifecycle: from presales to bids, from concepts and design to delivery, from BAU to decommissioning. Few professions allow that kind of panoramic view. And fewer still allow you to work across domains—finance, healthcare, retail, telecom—while building both functional and non-functional expertise.
But here’s the catch: highly paid testing roles can be fragile. Their longevity depends on the market. If the industry dips, or if recession strikes, then highly compensated roles can quickly become vulnerable. And product-based companies are no exception; the stakes are high, the risks higher. Nobody keeps you around with stock options and lofty titles if the market doesn’t support it.
So how do you build a sustainable, fulfilling career in testing? Over the years, I have found there are three rough layers to it. You begin as an entry-level tester, progress into a specialist or lead role, and then transition into senior leadership or advisory positions. The job titles change—junior tester, test analyst, test lead, manager, consultant, senior consultant, principal consultant—but the fundamental challenge remains: how do you continue to grow without becoming redundant or irrelevant? I have unpacked some of this in my book Test Automation – A Manager’s Guide, particularly the evolving skills landscape, though even since writing it the industry has shifted further.
The answer, I believe, lies in broadening your perspective. Technical skills are essential, yes, but they alone will not carry you through the decades. You need to become more than a bug finder. You need to become a risk advisor, a strategist, a trusted partner to the business. The highest form of growth I have seen in this profession is not about titles, nor about the size of your team. It is about becoming a Trusted Testing Partner.
That title isn’t printed on email signature. It’s bestowed upon you when senior stakeholders—programme directors, CIOs, even CEOs—begin to look at you as their go-to person for judgement calls. When they say, “Ask Boby what he thinks. If he says the release is good, we go ahead.” That’s trust. And that’s a career pinnacle in software testing that no pay band or job title can adequately describe.
But let me warn you—it comes with weight. Being a Trusted Testing Partner means you carry responsibility beyond testing. If you stop a release, you must understand the financial implications, the reputational risks, and the business outcomes. A wrong call could cost your stakeholder their job. Your decisions ripple far beyond the QA team. And once that trust is broken, it’s almost impossible to rebuild. So when people ask me, what is the growth path in software testing, I say it is less about climbing a ladder and more about broadening your base while strengthening your stance, like a martial artist (and I do know something about that, having worn the black belt myself).
I have had the privilege of serving in this role a few times in my career. And I can tell you—it’s exhilarating, it’s terrifying, and it’s deeply rewarding all at once. It is here where you realise that testing is not about bugs at all. It’s about confidence, about enabling informed decisions, about protecting business outcomes.
So, career growth in testing? It’s less about climbing a ladder and more about widening your influence. You can go sideways, upwards, or even diagonally, but the true destination is becoming indispensable in the eyes of those who make the biggest calls.
Testing is not a stepping stone to “real IT” as some still joke, nor is it merely a supporting act. Done with passion, patience, and persistence, it is a craft, a business enabler, and yes, sometimes a career oxymoron where growth looks different to different people. For some it’s higher pay, for others it’s more influence, for a few it’s recognition in the industry. For me, it has been a combination of all three, mixed with the joy of being at the crossroads of technology and business, where bugs meet budgets and test cases meet trust. So, my advice: don’t chase titles alone. Instead, aim to become indispensable, trusted, and yes, a little bit legendary in the eyes of those who matter. Because in the end, in testing as in life, high power comes with high responsibility—and sadly, not always with the matching payslip, but that’s a bug we testers are still waiting for someone to fix.