School of Test Automation Engineers test automation

Without a tester, it is impossible to develop a quality application, program, or even a website with at least moderate load. What tasks does a tester solve?

1. The main thing is to detect bugs (errors) and other software defects.

The goal is to make the program, application, or website user-friendly and intuitive, which makes them more marketable. The tester directly influences the profitability of the employer's business.

2. Analyzes the product (software) for compliance with requirements and specifications.

The program, application, or website must be adapted to work on various technical devices, operating systems, and platforms.

3. Organizes manual and automated testing.

To realistically simulate user behavior and requests, various techniques and tools need to be used. A tester should not be afraid of words like: Postman, API, DevTools, software architecture, etc.

4. Makes reports on defects found.

One must be able to explain what problems were found in the code, and present the work result in the form of a document with specific and clear information.

5. Interacts with the team: managers and other specialists.

Yes, a quality product (software) is the result of teamwork. The tester not only checks programs for errors but also participates in discussions of important decisions.

• Demand. The IT market is growing, and every year there are more and more job openings in testing. Moreover, the demand for skilled testers is increasing not only in Russia but worldwide.

• Accessibility of the entrance. Testing is an IT field that is open to complete beginners. There are no age or location restrictions. Whether you're 16 or 40, from Moscow or a small village, you can learn to become a tester online from scratch. At NextGen School, we offer free introductory lessons. During the course, you'll study in-demand technologies and gain practical skills that are highly valued. The training takes 3–4 months.

• High salary. Junior software testers are offered a starting salary of at least 50,000 rubles. As a specialist's qualifications grow, the average salary increases by 4–6 times. The first salary as a tester can fully cover the cost of the course. Additionally, NextGen School offers installment payment plans for training programs. For more information on payment options, prices, and discounts, you can contact our support team. Simply leave your contact details in the "Contact me" form.

• Comfortable start for development in other IT areas. The theory and practical tasks during the training will introduce you not only to the tester profession but also to the roles of other team specialists and how the software development cycle works. Real hands-on experience in testing will provide you with universal programming skills that are also valuable for other IT professions.

• Flexible schedule and working conditions. Testers have significantly more options for work schedules beyond the standard 5/2. You can work remotely and negotiate with your employer to create a schedule that allows you to balance work and personal life.

• Large selection of sub-specialties within the profession. You will be able to choose what you prefer to test: websites, web services, applications, games, or software. Also, starting with manual testing and simple automation, you can grow into roles like analyst (QA analyst), QA engineer, automation engineer, or test developer (SDET).

Our online school is focused on helping every student interested in employment to find a job. How do we achieve this?

• Include in the plan of the educational program not only technical stack

You will learn not only testing tools. We explain the principles of how team development processes are organized in Russia and abroad, according to methodologies like Agile and Scrum. As a result, you will gain a complete understanding of the project lifecycle and how work is organized at different stages.

• Organizing a supportive environment

NextGen School students are never left alone with their difficulties: mentors, experts (teachers), fellow students, and graduates who are active testers are always in touch in the general chat. The community supports you at every stage of professional development: both when you are learning the basics and when you're preparing for interviews.

• Helping you build a compelling portfolio

Building your portfolio happens throughout the course. Every homework assignment is not just a practice task but a high-quality showcase for a future employer.

• We give detailed feedback

Feedback is given individually and during general online reviews based on the tasks completed that week. The feedback goes beyond just checking—it highlights your strengths, offers personal recommendations, and answers your questions. We also teach you how to accept revisions positively and create multiple versions of a project before the final approval.

• Helping you prepare for job interviews

We explain how to respond correctly to recruiters' questions and how to assess whether a company’s corporate culture is a good fit for you. We help you with test assignment tasks and provide specific cheat codes to confidently pass all stages of the interview.

• We offer vacancies from companies we cooperate with

Our partners find employees in NextGen School chats even before they post the vacancies on hh.ru. We also explain where to search for interesting job opportunities on your own and how to respond to them correctly.

• Continued support after the course

You will still have access to chats, tools, and learning materials for professional development after completing the core program. You will always be a full-fledged member of our QA community.

A portfolio plays a more significant role in a tester's employment and career development than a university degree, and sometimes even more than work experience. When selecting candidates, an experienced applicant with a weak portfolio will lose out to a beginner who has convincingly presented several cases. A portfolio demonstrates:

• Real cases. The final project and tasks that you worked on during the training will definitely be suitable.

• Skills in reporting and documenting errors found when simulating different user behavior scenarios.

• Ability to perform various types of work using current technologies (e.g. Postman, Git, DevTools, etc.), popular programming languages (JavaScript, Python, SQL, etc.), and test management tools.

• The ability to present data in a format that is user-friendly and visually appealing. You don't need design skills to do this. The course teaches you how to design your work using automatic tools to make the best impression on employers.

Within the first 2 weeks, we will be ready to refund the full course fee. So, you have the opportunity to try it out and keep your budget safe.

QA is considered an easy entry into IT. We have designed the program so that the introduction to the basics of testing is as clear as possible. Over the course of 3–4 months (depending on the chosen course), you will gain the necessary knowledge and practical experience using real project materials, as close to real-world scenarios as possible.

The entire course is led by practicing experts in testing. They will share real-life stories from the working process and help you understand how well the testing profession suits you.

The program provides the opportunity to get help at every stage of learning. During the course, we conduct live webinars with work reviews, where you can always ask additional questions and get a live answer from a testing practitioner.

During the course, you will not face harsh control. If you fall behind, we won’t expel you, but offer help. From our experience, mastering the nuances of software and application testing is achievable without any prior similar experience. All you need is your desire and consistent training.

Don't be afraid that you won't understand something. This is a normal situation, and we will always be there to help at the right moment. Follow the program step by step, don't stop, and the first offer letter from an IT company won't be long in coming.

Knowledge of English is an advantage, but not a requirement to start a career as a tester. In Russian companies, work is conducted in Russian. The interface of work programs will be in English: which button does what, and students quickly understand this during the course. Sometimes a tester may need to search for technical details on foreign websites. There is always the option to use a translator.

However, if you want to work for a foreign company or find international clients, then conversational English will indeed be necessary for communication with the employer and the team.

Yes, a tester can work on projects for a large international company even from a village, as long as there is a decent internet connection. You can also attend an online interview and move to a city where the company's office is located. The most important things are your skills, knowledge, and ability to work in a team.

During the 3–4 months of training in the course, you will gain enough practical experience under the guidance of experienced specialists. We will assist you in creating your resume, preparing for interviews, and give you tips on how to handle a test assignment and how to stand out during an internship at a company.

During the 3–4 months (depending on the duration of the chosen program), you will complete homework assignments that are based on real project materials and closely resemble the natural task-setting conditions. Each well-executed project like this can confidently be added to your portfolio.

By the end of the main training program, you will be able to showcase examples of testing web and mobile applications (for iOS/Android platforms), API tests, as well as infrastructure setup for QA.

Such a portfolio will prove that as a result of the training, you have gained not only knowledge but also specific practical skills in working with data using the selected programming language and proficiency with the relevant frameworks. For most students, a portfolio becomes the key to entering the testing profession, even without any previous similar work experience.

Lack of programming experience will not prevent you from successfully completing the chosen course. The training program is adapted for beginners. Hundreds of students before you came to us from scratch and found a job in testing. In the first lessons you will get basic knowledge about the tester's toolkit, with the help of which you will be able to move on to more complex topics.

All topics studied are reinforced with practical exercises so that you can apply what you have learned immediately. We provide all the tools you need for practicing and doing homework. The course lasts 3-4 months. You will start by learning the basics of the chosen programming language, and then learn how to apply it to work with data and perform automated testing. The training program includes live webinars to answer questions and parse students' work. Each step of the training program is aimed at providing you with the knowledge and skills necessary to perform the tasks of a tester in a real working environment.

All topics studied are reinforced with practical exercises so that you can apply what you have learned immediately. We provide all the tools you need for practicing and doing homework. The course lasts 3-4 months. You will start by learning the basics of the chosen programming language, and then learn how to apply it to work with data and perform automated testing. The training program includes live webinars to answer questions and parse students' work. Each step of the training program is aimed at providing you with the knowledge and skills necessary to perform the tasks of a tester in a real working environment.

All topics studied are reinforced with practical exercises so that you can apply what you have learned immediately. We provide all the tools you need for practicing and doing homework. The course lasts 3-4 months. You will start by learning the basics of the chosen programming language, and then learn how to apply it to work with data and perform automated testing. The training program includes live webinars to answer questions and parse students' work. Each step of the training program is aimed at providing you with the knowledge and skills necessary to perform the tasks of a tester in a real working environment.

You don't need to initially know the programming language to study on the course. But you should keep in mind that without experience, practical tasks may require more time. You can become a tester even if the first tasks are difficult. The main thing is to keep going and don't hesitate to ask for help. And we will be in touch with you with all your questions.