Why Testing?

Over the past several years people and interviewer's have asked me this question a lot. Why are you in testing? Or why did you choose testing? And I have always replied with "Why not testing"? I didn't grow up saying I want to be in testing, I didn't think about it when I was in college. I was offered an opportunity long ago by a friend. He said try it out and don't do it if you don't like it. So I gave it a try and never looked back.

I believe there are two sets of people. People who understand testing and people who don't understand testing. No I don't mean definition wise or theoretically. I mean more in terms of concept. You can learn as much as you want about testing and claim to apply things you have learned. The real understanding comes from how you handle it in real time.

Lets take for example the definition as stated in the CSTE CBOK
"Testing is the process of evaluating a deliverable with the intent of finding errors."

This sums up the testing process. The greater problem lies in understanding errors, how to find them, and also what deliverable we are talking about. Its really the thinking behind the actual job that counts. You can dive in deep and test or you can float in the job of trying to test to come out on the other side really not knowing what you have to do.

Testing is an art and a science. And you have to understand both to really understand testing.
Definition of Art (Merriam-Webster)

• skill acquired by experience, study, or observation
• the conscious use of skill and creative imagination especially in the production of aesthetic objects; also : works so produced

It really drives down to the fact that testers have to be open to a lot, should be willing to learn, be a good observer and willing to learn from experience. These things that we learn over time are skills that have to be applied to the job to be a successful tester. It is very important to use your skills and imagination. There are no limits or boundaries to testing. One does not stop at just testing, testing involves learning the system, putting on different thinking hats (Business Analyst, Developers, customers, end users, support line, etc). Its about being able to switch gears and roles to really bring the best of the product forward and identifying the risk (weaknesses) to help our organization to mitigate these risks. Its about the big picture - release of the product to the customer and to meet their requirements with as few risks as possible.

Definition of Science (Merriam-Webster)

• the state of knowing : knowledge as distinguished from ignorance or misunderstanding
• a : a department of systematized knowledge as an object of study b : something (as a sport or technique) that may be studied or learned like systematized knowledge
• knowledge or a system of knowledge covering general truths or the operation of general laws especially as obtained and tested through scientific method b : such knowledge or such a system of knowledge concerned with the physical world and its phenomena

There are a number of processes and functions that can be used for testing. The goal that the testers are trying to achieve are finding as many risks (defects or bugs) before the product goes to production. There are a large number of scientific processes that testers can apply to get this done. CSTE CBOK get into a lot of them in detail and I don't want to get into the actual process here.
 
The point I am trying to get to is between being an art and science, Testing often the most misunderstood job in the technology industry. Its not about breaking anything. No its not breaking software. Testers simply bring out the risk (defect, bugs, weakness - each one defines it differently ) of the software. And this job is no less no more than any other technology job that is out there.
 
So why testing? Because its art and science and needs skills. I have the skills and am a successful tester. So any tester who still doubts their role please don't.