I’ve always admired the position of being part of the Quality Analyst Department, but I also heard a lot of edgy opinions and ideas about it, like most people would say that being a QA is…

1. “EASY”

They thought QAs tasks are easy and that everyone can do it. But now that I am working as a QA, I don’t even want to start a list of our own struggles – I believe there is no such thing as “easy” when it comes to a job. Everyone can be a QA but the question is, “Can you be a GOOD one?” When working there’s always a hurdle that people needs to pass on, a challenge that needs to survive and new knowledge that needs to be learn not just by mind but also by heart.

2. “ENEMY”

In this position a lot of people would think that QAs cannot be friends with teammates or developers and that they need to set a wall from them. When in reality that’s most opposite of what QAs should do. It’s not QA versus developers; it should be QA and developers working together as a team and communicating well to produce great result.

3. “OBSTRUCTIVE”

People think that QAs are making the team’s job more difficult for them when in fact, QAs are just making sure that everything is in place and that the quality of the team’s output is well. Being “obstructive” is way different from being “strict”. Being “strict” is part of a QAs job, which is to follow the project’s standards and making sure the project is well developed.

4. “DEMANDING”

QAs have requirements to follow and always view the project’s output as a customer, that’s why sometimes QAs ask for some adjustments especially about the designs and functionality of the project. QAs don’t just “demand” for what they think they want, it’s called “suggesting” because this is what they think is best for the project. Of course all suggestions need to be discussed and approved by the team.

5. “BORING”

I’ve never been happier with my job as a QA. The position of a quality analyst is made to ensure that the project’s functionality, usability and consistency meet the user’s expectation. That being said, QAs get to be one of the first users of a specific software, social media, mobile application, etc., and that’s really awesome! Additionally, QAs are exposed to trending things online and are always updated with new features that are not yet released. Being a quality analyst will never be boring!