Guardians of the Software Galaxy

What can YOU have in common with Ironman, Hawk Eye, Hulk, Thor, Dare Devil, Captain Marvel, Wasp, Dr. Strange, and other superheroes? The awesome answer is that like them, you too can be a superhero and that too in real-life! Let’s explore how.

There’s a world of fictional superheroes out there, who we love to engage with through print and/or digital media. The prime reason why they captivate our attention is because of their superpowers through which they uphold good and destroy evil! In the fictional world, there are also those who we admire and hold in awe as ‘Guardians of the Universe’ and ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’.

But have you heard of the “Guardians of the Software Galaxy’’? Here the heroes are the normal friendly neighbourhood kind of people who become superheroes of the software world. These superheroes may not necessarily be endowed with super powers, but can carefully cultivate them in a very short span of time. This is not a reel-life movie but can be your real-life story! There’s a great opportunity for YOU to be a real-life superhero and become a Guardian of the Software Galaxy.

So let me introduce you to these superheroes. In the Software Galaxy, a section of these superheroes are commonly known as ‘Full Stack Software Testers’. They stand firmly with the software developers who put together the software that is going to help hundreds, thousands or even millions of people. These testing superheroes are equipped with advanced automated and even robotic tools to dig out those evil bugs that may be hiding deep within the software program – waiting to attack and bring to naught the onerous efforts of the software developers. Escaped bugs that make their way to the final app will result in huge rectification time, rectification costs, downtime costs, loss of face, loss of customers etc. – something no one can afford in an era where speed, accuracy and security are non-negotiable drivers.

A tiny escaped evil bug can even bring the loftiest of software giants to their knees and threaten to take away their followers aka end-users. A nasty bug can create big problems for app users too, and even leak their sensitive data. These software bugs spare nobody – they can bring disaster to all stakeholders – be it software developers, the software company, the organisation that owns the app, or the end-user. It’s the fervent mission of these superhero software testers to detect these villainous bugs at the earliest, so that the developers can fix them and prevent the huge costs and also the colossal damage that these bugs can do to millions of people. In fact one report places the cost of compromised software quality at $ 2 trillion annually – just for US organisations. Extrapolate that for the software galaxy and we realise the immense importance of these superhero software testers, whose empowered efforts can avert such catastrophes.

If you are already a Guardian of the Software Galaxy, you will have many marvelous true stories to recount. How you caught a dangerous bug just on time to prevent a major ripple effect disaster; how ‘out of the box’ thinking made you detect a glitch in an area nobody expected; how your eye for detail helped avert days of rectification and rework in an extremely tight schedule; and of course the list goes on! Perhaps you caught those seemingly simple, tiny bugs that could have had explosive results – like that date glitch, or missing punctuation mark, that spelling error, that algorithm error, or perhaps you detected on time the use of the wrong units system (imperial v/s metric system). Maybe you were spot on about the incompatible codes or errors in data conversion. Your super power testing skills helped save the day over and over again! Undoubtedly there will be many more superhero moments, in times to come!

There are scores of errors types that could occur and digging these out from a load of software codes can be like looking for a needle in a haystack! But this is precisely what a testing superhero very successfully does – achieving the seemingly impossible, much like the fictional superheroes. If not for these testing superheroes, the software galaxy would be dangerously rocking and exploding every day!

Ironman, Hawk Eye, Hulk, Thor, Dare Devil, Captain Marvel, Wasp, Dr. Strange and other superheroes have special powers like genius level intellect, scientific and engineering proficiency, superhuman strength, speed, durability, agility, exceptional reflexes, supersonic senses etc. with which they fictionally save the world. Similarly the Full Stack Software Tester is a real-life superhero equipped with intellect, good grasp of software, natural curiosity, superb human skill sets, excellence in understanding and resolving problems, eye for detail, and excellent communication and writing skills. To this is added dedication, discipline, team spirit and a ‘never say die’ attitude – and the result is a testing superhero charged with the mission to save the many projects that he/she will work on in the software galaxy – projects that will help so many people out there in the real world.

While fictional superheroes may additionally possess powered armor suits, magical cloaks, specialised capes, web-creating powers, and the like, as a Superhero Tester, you too will be empowered with Advanced Digital Technology, Test Automation driven by Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML), Robotics and newer advancements that are still in the making. You will also be equipped with aids such as Voice-enabled Testing, Script-less Test Automation, Cloud-based Testing, and Devop and Agile Methodologies to help you detect and weed out every critical bug that is a threat to the stakeholders.

It goes without saying that superheroes need to ensure that they don’t lose their super powers, if they are to fight and defeat the villains. So too, Superhero Software Testers need to hone their skills to be ahead of the villainous bugs. So here are some tips to help you transform into a futuristic Superhero Tester and be a Guardian of the Software Galaxy:

• Perfect your understanding of the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC).
• Refine your ability to create a Comprehensive Test Plan.
• Get familiar with Devops, Agile and other current methodologies.
• Be updated with the latest Automation Tools.
• Sharpen your test allocation skills.
• Keep abreast of the ever-evolving software galaxy.

If you would like to be a Guardian of the Software Galaxy, here’s some awesome news for you! In just 3 months you can join hands with these real-life superheroes! PathGlow will empower you with the latest and best in Software Testing through its Full Stack Software Testing Course. You can choose either the Power Tester Course or the Super Tester Course – both of which will equip you to be a futuristic Guardian of the Software Galaxy. With PathGlow’s 100% placement assistance, there’ll be an awesome career waiting to welcome you in just 3 months!

Visit us at www.mypathglow.com to learn how to cultivate and develop your super powers for the Software Galaxy.