Quality Assurance Engineering is one of the most underrated entry points into the tech industry. It is a real technical role, it is in demand at every company that ships software, and it is accessible to career changers without a coding background. Here is what the career actually looks like and how to get started.
What QA does in plain English
QA engineers find bugs before users do. Their job is to test software systematically — running through features, edge cases, and user flows to confirm that the product behaves as expected. When something breaks, QA engineers document it clearly enough that a developer can reproduce and fix it. They are the last line of defense between bad code and real users.
Manual vs. automation testing
Manual testing means clicking through the product yourself, following test cases, and verifying behavior step by step. Automation testing means writing scripts that run those checks automatically — faster, more reliably, and at scale. Most entry-level QA roles focus on manual testing first. Automation is a valuable skill to develop over time, and roles that require it typically pay significantly more. Selenium and Cypress are the most common automation frameworks to learn as a first step.
Why QA is underrated
Every company that ships software needs QA — from early-stage startups to enterprise software vendors. The role is chronically undersupplied relative to demand, which keeps the career path stable even when hiring slows in other parts of tech. QA engineers also see the entire product, which makes the role an excellent foundation for moving into product management, technical support, or developer relations later in a career.
Salary range
Entry-level QA analysts typically earn between $50,000 and $70,000 in the United States, with salaries in major tech hubs starting closer to $65,000. Mid-level QA engineers with two to four years of experience earn $75,000 to $100,000. Senior QA engineers and automation specialists regularly earn $100,000 to $130,000, with total compensation higher at well-funded companies.
How to get started
Start by learning testing theory: what a test case is, what a bug report should include, the difference between functional and non-functional testing, and how QA fits into an agile sprint cycle. Then learn the core tools: Jira for tracking bugs, Postman for testing APIs manually, and the basics of one automation framework like Selenium or Cypress. You do not need to be fluent in automation to land your first role — but understanding what it is and why it matters will separate you from other entry-level candidates.
Build a portfolio with bug reports
Your portfolio as a QA engineer is a collection of bug reports. Pick any public-facing product — a website, a mobile app, a web tool — and spend a few hours testing it systematically. Document every issue you find: steps to reproduce, expected behavior, actual behavior, severity, and screenshots. A set of five to ten well-written bug reports from a real product demonstrates more than any certification.
If you want a structured path into QA, the NewRoleKit QA Engineer track walks you through testing theory, the tools that matter, and how to build a portfolio that gets interviews — without needing a technical background to start.