The Narrowing Gap Between SDET and Software Engineer
And How You Can Achieve It
About Me
My name is Matt Gilbert and I have been in the Software Testing field for close to 10 years now. I have my B.S. in Software Development from Western Governors University. I’ve had the opportunity to take on many different roles in varying industries like Insurance, Startups, SaaS, Healthcare, as well as contract work. Across these different industries, I also gained experience with several different testing techniques. These include API testing, Integration, Performance, Accessibility, UI, Usability, Mobile, Contract, as well as Test Automation Framework development in Java, C#, Typescript, and Python. You can find me on LinkedIn. Let’s connect!
Intro
First of all, sorry about the delay in getting this article out, I hope you find it insightful! You might have clicked on this article out of curiosity. What is an SDET? Maybe you already know. I’ll attempt to explain to the best of my abilities.
What Is An SDET?
SDET stands for Software Development Engineer in Test. I like to think of the role as a “Quality-Centric Software Engineer”. What does that mean exactly? It is an individual that has the capabilities and skillsets of a Software Engineer, but whose main focus lies on all aspects of the quality of the system. Moreso lately, the role of an SDET has blurred the lines between a Software Engineer, and Test Engineer. This is because of the way the industry is moving, the constant new technologies being introduced, and the hyper-paced move to deploy constantly. With that, comes a need for a more technical approach with regard to maintaining a high level of quality.
Shouldn’t Developers Be Focused On Quality Too??
Short answer: yes. Long answer: While I would argue that it’s up to the entire team to be advocates for quality, it’s not as simple as that. The amount of time and focus it takes to constantly be on the lookout for edge cases, accessibility, usability, and functional and non-functional concerns that might arise is very time-consuming, not to mention the other responsibilities of an SDET. It would cause a decrease in work output if that burden was on the Developer. This is where SDETs can become extremely valuable.
What Does An SDET Do?
An SDET bridges the gap between the traditional Software Engineer role and a Test Engineer role. They are involved in code reviews; offering feedback on the quality impacts of the proposed changes, building out Integration or UI tests for features, process improvement & implementation, and providing training for the other Test team members.
What Should An SDET Know?
While there isn’t an “official” list, here are some areas you should be proficient in.
Comfortable creating CI/CD pipelines for your tests
Producing dashboards to communicate test results
Creating and maintaining a Test Automation suite in your language of choice
Strong, object-oriented design and coding skills
Deal well with ambiguous/undefined problems; ability to think abstractly
Experience scripting SQL and/or NoSQL databases to setup test data
Pathways To An SDET Role
Both of these pathways will take time. The first pathway is the more traditional route a lot of people take. Both of these pathways will require learning constantly, and showcasing that knowledge by applying yourself and what you’ve learned.
Associate Quality Analyst > Quality Analyst > Test Engineer > Sr. Test Engineer (I & II) > SDET
You might have noticed that this path is a bit longer. Remember what I said above about an SDET’s role being focused on quality? I believe you should first build that foundation and then grow your technical skill set, you will become a more valuable SDET going down this path.
Software Engineer > Sr. Software Engineer > SDET
I’ve seen this path a few times, typically it arises out of curiosity. Some would call it joining the “Dark Side”. Either way, quality is very much needed now more than ever, and the more individuals interested in furthering this discipline, the better!
Outro
Thanks for reading! If you have any questions on this article or any of my past articles, feel free to reach out on my LinkedIn. I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Keep on the lookout for my next article!