QA training and certification

Training appropriate for QA testers can be gained through a number of venues. There are various online QA training courses, and QA certification programs available. But do QA Engineers need formal training or certification? Some companies prefer to hire certified or officially trained testers. The argument usually goes as follows: if QA manager intends to build the technically advanced test team, having certified test engineers would help to achieve the goal. However, there are always an example of a testers with a certification who had neither perseverance or learning ability.

Meanwhile there are plenty of commercial ways to get quality assurance training. Whether QA Tester is in Bay Area, Bangalore or Moscow, there are advertisement by testing tool vendors for HP QTP certification, Silktest certification or to become Certified Software Test Engineer (CSTE) through training and an exam. SQA training is also offered by various training companies and even individual testers for Selenium and Watir. I personaly know a few tester who became Oracle Certified Professional Java Programmer or Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist.

There are good and bad training and certification programs out there for testers looking to obtain credentials as a test professional. If QA Engineer is considering one of the training or certification opportunities, I would suggest to ask the vendor the following questions.

• To what extent does the training program relate to real testing world?
• What experience and qualifications do the instructors have as recognized test professionals?
• Is QA training required to take the certification exam?
• Can the training or certification be taken online?
• Does the training focus on testing or quality assurance?
• In what companies is the training or certification is recognized?
• Does training company offer job placement for QA Testers?
• What do alumni think of the training or certification program?