We may earn an affiliate commission when you visit our partners.

Software Tester

Save
March 29, 2024 Updated April 11, 2025 16 minute read

Exploring a Career as a Software Tester

Software testing is a critical discipline within the software development process, focused on evaluating and verifying that a software product or application does what it is supposed to do. Testers act as the guardians of quality, meticulously examining software to find defects, ensure it meets specified requirements, and ultimately confirm it provides a positive user experience. Their work helps prevent bugs from reaching end-users, saving companies from potential reputational damage and costly fixes after release.

Share

Help others find this career page by sharing it with your friends and followers:

Salaries for Software Tester

City
Median
New York
$102,000
San Francisco
$123,000
Seattle
$135,000
See all salaries
City
Median
New York
$102,000
San Francisco
$123,000
Seattle
$135,000
Austin
$120,000
Toronto
$74,000
London
£55,000
Paris
€47,000
Berlin
€55,000
Tel Aviv
₪27,000
Singapore
S$85,000
Beijing
¥384,000
Shanghai
¥442,000
Shenzhen
¥340,000
Bengalaru
₹250,000
Delhi
₹1,140,000
Bars indicate relevance. All salaries presented are estimates. Completion of this course does not guarantee or imply job placement or career outcomes.

Path to Software Tester

Take the first step.
We've curated 24 courses to help you on your path to Software Tester. Use these to develop your skills, build background knowledge, and put what you learn to practice.
Sorted from most relevant to least relevant:

Reading list

We haven't picked any books for this reading list yet.
This is the Spanish translation of the foundational book on Test-Driven Development (TDD). It provides a practical, example-driven approach to understanding the TDD cycle (Red-Green-Refactor) and how testing, including the use of test doubles like mocks, drives software design. is essential for gaining a broad understanding of the context in which Mock Objects are most commonly used and is valuable for Spanish-speaking audiences.
This foundational book on Test-Driven Development (TDD), the practice that heavily utilizes Mock Objects. It provides a practical, example-driven approach to understanding the TDD cycle (Red-Green-Refactor) and how testing, including the use of test doubles like mocks, drives software design. is essential for gaining a broad understanding of the context in which Mock Objects are most commonly used. It is considered a classic in the field and is often recommended for those new to TDD and unit testing.
Delves deeper into using TDD and Mock Objects to design well-structured, object-oriented software. It goes beyond the basics of writing tests and shows how tests, particularly with the use of mock objects, can guide the development of a flexible and maintainable codebase. It is highly relevant for understanding how Mock Objects contribute to good design and is considered a key text for those looking to deepen their TDD practice. This book is often used as a reference for applying TDD in real-world projects.
This recent book focused specifically on Playwright, a modern web automation framework. Given the increasing popularity of Playwright as an alternative to Selenium, this book is highly relevant for contemporary web testing. It covers various aspects of Playwright, including end-to-end, API, accessibility, and visual testing.
Provides a comprehensive view of BDD and its application throughout the software development lifecycle. It goes beyond just the tools and explains the collaborative aspects of BDD, which are essential for successful web testing in an agile environment. The second edition includes integration with DevOps and large-scale Agile systems, making it highly contemporary.
Focuses specifically on the Mockito framework, which is used for creating mock objects in Java. It is highly relevant for courses mentioning Mockito and provides a detailed guide to using its features for effective mocking. It's a practical resource for Java developers who want to master the use of Mockito. This book is valuable for deepening understanding and as a practical reference.
Practical guide specifically for web test automation using Selenium WebDriver and Java, a common combination in the industry. It's highly relevant for those looking to gain hands-on experience with automating web tests. It covers both basic and advanced concepts, making it suitable for different skill levels.
Directly addresses unit testing with Mockito and JUnit, making it highly relevant to the provided course names. It focuses on building and maintaining JUnit test cases and specifically covers mocking external dependencies using Mockito. It's a practical guide for Java developers looking to enhance their unit testing skills with these specific tools. This book good resource for deepening understanding of Mockito and JUnit integration.
Provides a hands-on approach to using Selenium WebDriver with Java for developing end-to-end web tests. It covers core features and explores advanced topics such as using Docker containers with Selenium. This practical guide for those who prefer a deep dive with code examples.
Another practical guide focused on Selenium WebDriver, this book provides a comprehensive approach to automating web application tests. It offers clear explanations and practical examples, making it a valuable resource for beginners and those looking to deepen their understanding of Selenium.
Provides a solid understanding of the principles and practices behind effective unit testing, including how to use test doubles appropriately. It goes beyond the mechanics of testing frameworks and focuses on the design of testable code. This book is excellent for deepening one's understanding of the theory and patterns behind unit testing and the role of mocks within that context. It's a valuable resource for those seeking a more in-depth understanding.
Performance critical aspect of web applications. provides an excellent conceptual overview of performance testing specifically for web-based applications. It covers various types of performance testing, key indicators, and the steps involved, making it highly relevant for ensuring the responsiveness and scalability of web solutions.
Combines Test-Driven Development (TDD) principles with web development using Python, Django, Selenium, and JavaScript. It's a practical guide for developers and testers who want to apply TDD to web application development and testing. It directly incorporates Selenium, a key tool mentioned in the course titles.
While the examples are in .NET, the principles of unit testing and the extensive coverage of test doubles, including mocks, are universally applicable. provides a comprehensive guide to writing maintainable and readable unit tests, explaining the different types of test doubles and when to use them effectively. It is valuable for both gaining a broad understanding and deepening one's knowledge of unit testing practices, making it a useful reference for developers regardless of their primary language.
Similar to the .NET version, this book focuses on the principles of unit testing and the use of test doubles, with examples in C#. It's highly relevant for those working with C# and provides a thorough understanding of how to effectively use mocks and other test doubles in that environment. It's a valuable resource for deepening understanding and as a reference for C# developers.
Is essential for understanding how web testing fits into a modern DevOps and continuous delivery pipeline. It covers the importance of automated testing for achieving reliable and frequent software releases. While not solely focused on web testing, the principles and practices discussed are directly applicable to automating web application deployments and testing within a CI/CD workflow.
Focused specifically on the JUnit 5 framework, this book is highly relevant for courses mentioning JUnit. It covers the features of JUnit 5, including its architecture and support for various testing styles. While it may not focus exclusively on Mock Objects, it provides the necessary context for using them within the JUnit framework. valuable resource for Java developers using or learning JUnit 5.
Key resource for understanding and implementing Behavior-Driven Development (BDD), a methodology often used in conjunction with web testing automation. It explains how to write executable specifications using Gherkin and Cucumber, which is directly relevant to several of the listed courses.
Given the mention of Python in several course titles, this book on pytest is highly relevant for web testing using Python. Pytest popular testing framework for Python that can be used for various levels of testing, including web application testing. serves as both a tutorial and a reference for using pytest effectively.
Given that web development often follows agile methodologies, this book is highly relevant. It focuses on the role of testing within agile teams and how testers can effectively contribute throughout the development lifecycle. It provides practical guidance on integrating testing activities into agile sprints, which is crucial for web testing in an agile context.
Offers insights into the testing practices at Google, a company known for its large-scale web applications. It provides a perspective on how testing is approached in a large, complex environment, offering valuable lessons applicable to web testing at scale. It's more suited for those with some existing testing knowledge.
This concise guide provides a comprehensive overview of web testing, including both theory and practice. It is written in a clear and accessible style, making it an excellent resource for beginners and experienced testers alike.
This comprehensive catalog of patterns for unit testing, including numerous patterns related to the use of test doubles like Mock Objects. It is an invaluable reference for understanding common problems encountered when writing tests and how to solve them effectively. While not a book for beginners, it is essential for those looking to deepen their understanding of test design and refactoring test code. is considered a classic reference for experienced testers and developers.
Offers a comprehensive guide to test automation, covering various techniques, practices, and design patterns. While not limited to web testing, the principles and patterns discussed are highly applicable to building maintainable and scalable web test automation frameworks. It's a valuable resource for deepening understanding of test automation architecture.
Table of Contents
Our mission

OpenCourser helps millions of learners each year. People visit us to learn workspace skills, ace their exams, and nurture their curiosity.

Our extensive catalog contains over 50,000 courses and twice as many books. Browse by search, by topic, or even by career interests. We'll match you to the right resources quickly.

Find this site helpful? Tell a friend about us.

Affiliate disclosure

We're supported by our community of learners. When you purchase or subscribe to courses and programs or purchase books, we may earn a commission from our partners.

Your purchases help us maintain our catalog and keep our servers humming without ads.

Thank you for supporting OpenCourser.

© 2016 - 2025 OpenCourser