Also called: Software Development Engineer in Test, Test Automation Engineer, QA Engineer
Finds bugs before customers do by designing tests and building automated test systems.
You read the plan for a new feature and imagine every way it could break. Then you write automated tests that click through the app thousands of times, and file clear bug reports when something fails.
May 2025 BLS median $104,300.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Bachelor's in CS or IT typical; certifications such as ISTQB help.
Ways in: 4-year college, Certification, Self-taught. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Computer Science, Information Technology, Software Engineering.
Growing much faster than average (about 10% over 10 years). Included in BLS 10% combined projection for developers and testers (2025-35).
Medium risk in 5 years, high in 10. AI now writes and runs test suites and finds bugs automatically, shrinking QA teams; test strategy and risk calls stay human.
Classes: AP Computer Science A, AP Statistics, Computer applications.
Official data: O*NET occupation 15-1253.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.