What does SDET stand for?
Software Development Engineer in Test is a Software Engineer who can work just as efficiently in development as in testing, knowing the entire code of the system and being able to modify or develop new features using automated tests. This engineer also creates test cases for the manual tests.
How did this acronym come up?
We know that the term was coined by Microsoft in 2005 and many companies like Apple, Dell, Amazon, and others have used the term to hire IT professionals; other companies like Google prefer to use the term SET (Software Engineer in Test).
What are the differences between an SDET and a Tester?
An SDET is usually a software engineer with extensive knowledge in development but also with talent and great taste for breaking things which can be used for test automation. This skill, of course, needs to be developed. Tester, on the other hand, can be a manual tester or quality analyst who does not participate in software development.
What are some of the tools used by SDET’s
As I said, an SDET takes part in development processes and therefore knows how to use different programming languages such as Ruby, Python, Javascript, Java, just to mention a few. Additionally, they use automation testing tools like Jasmine, Rspec, Capybara, SitePrism, Selenium, and others.
They also do manual tests with a variety of tools just like TestRail, HP Quality Center, qTest, PractiTest, QACoverage, and so on.
What benefits can I get from working as an SDET?
If you are a Software Engineer and you have the opportunity to work as a Tester, you will acquire skills on how to build a high quality, sustainable and performant code, you’ll better understand the end-user’s perspective and consider as many scenarios as possible when you have to create the test cases and consequently release a better software.
Conclusion
I am a Software Engineer and I started working on a project as an Automation Tester. I can vouch that improving your testing abilities will make you a better developer by teaching you to be more careful and thorough.
But that’s my personal opinion, please tell me what your thoughts are. If you think I have missed any important skill, tool, or piece of information feel free to write in the comments section below.
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