Clearing a Career Path for Software Testers

0 7 4 0 7 4 5 9 / 0 0 / $ 1 0 . 0 0 © 2 0 0 0 I E E E However, this is clearly not the case. Many large-scale systems consist of millions of lines of source code. When a testing group determines that such a system is ready for release, it is essentially certifying that the software will behave with an acceptable level of dependability. The steps leading to this release decision must be based on sound engineering practices and carried out by qualified people. AT&T has always considered software testing an important and central activity. Software testers are generally treated with respect and viewed as essential to product success. To reinforce this view and to make sure that potential software testers are offered a varied and challenging career, AT&T has recently begun a Software Test Engineer Professional Development Program. The program’s primary goals are to attract highly qualified people to a career in software testing and to foster the growth of a permanent staff of highly competent test engineers. Achieving these goals should in turn lead to more uniform, more efficient, and more effective software testing practices, resulting in shortened product development and maintenance cycles and more reliable products. The program has three parts: