Automation Test Engineer

With the passing years and growing advancement in technology, automation has also been experiencing a swift evolution. A wide range of newly introduced tools for innovations, open-source solutions, and products for testing has opened up great opportunities in this field. Test Automation provides assured value and return of investment to the organizations in the long run. Over the last few decades, the job of Automation Testing has become one of the favoured jobs in the tech industry. So, today, here we are with this guide to help you become a successful Automation Test Engineer. Keep reading to learn about the most saleable skills, salary, and everything else you need to know. The motive is to give you full exposure to the job of an Automation Test Engineer and help you elevate your career. So, let’s get straight to the topic without any further ado!

Who is an Automation Test Engineer?

An Automation Test Engineer is an IT expert who is responsible for testing software using automated tools and frameworks. Automating the testing process has helped reduce human efforts and increase efficiency. The individuals who are actually behind the automation process are called Automation Test Engineers. Their major task scope includes designing programs and deploying novel testing software to automate the software testing process. If we talk about the term ‘Automation Testing’ specifically, it is an automated technique to compare the software result with the expected result. They are the ones who develop and employ such automated techniques to test software.

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Automation Test Engineer Job Description

Automation Test Engineers take the responsibility of designing automation tests. Their job role is all about designing and developing programs to perform automatic tests on softwares, writing automation scripts, and coming up with solutions for automation problems. A candidate who is passionate about developing programs and tools using the given guidelines for automatic testing is needed for this profile. If you have an interest in the field of Automation Testing and have a knack for finding up-to-date solutions to automation problems, you might be a good fit for this role. You must have a mathematical approach and possess excellent accuracy to be a good Automation Test Engineer. You would need to automate high-risk, tedious, and time taking, difficult, and repeatedly executed test cases to automate as an Automate Test Engineer. A suitable candidate would have an adequate sense of which test cases to be automated.

This job position calls for high proficiency in programming languages along with amazing time management skills. Keep reading to know more about the skills requirement. 

Roles and Responsibilities

Why do we need Automation Test Engineers? The answer lies in the description of the role played and responsibilities shouldered by an Automation Test Engineer. Let us see what are the key roles and responsibilities as of the current times.

• Identifying test cases: Recognizing and picking up the most appropriate test cases to be automated. For instance, if we automate a newly designed test case or one to be tested on an ad-hoc basis, it will be futile. Identifying the right test cases for automation is essential.
• Design and Documentation: Implementing various designs for test cases and preparing the documentation of automation test strategy.
• Planning and Approval: Making well-formulated automation testing plans and getting them approved falls under their job.
• STE Set up and Participation: Automation Test Engineers set up the Selenium Test Environment (STE) by configuring it and using an Integrated Development Environment (IDE) to participate in it. 
• Automation: The design of the test case framework is automated and implemented as per the project structure by the Automation Test Engineers.
• Debugging and Enhancement: Once the automation of framework design is completed, the team of Automation Test Engineers creates, test, debug and run the automated test cases. These individuals are all and all to collate and monitor the Defect Management process as well.
• Finding Automation Solutions: Whenever any changes are made to the automation process, Automation Test Engineers are responsible for their management and execution of regression tests. They are oriented to figure out the best error handling and object identification solutions.
• Customer or Client Support: At times, they have to interact with the customers or clients to solve their software and automation issues.
  

The list of the roles and responsibilities of an Automate Test Engineer doesn’t end here. There is a lot more behind the scene efforts that a team of Automate Test Engineers put in their job. Looking at the huge responsibility they carry and Automate Test Engineer’s salary must be worth their efforts. Salary trends of this field have been discussed in the following section of this guide. 

Automation Test Engineer Salary Trends in India/US

The national average base salary for an Automation Test Engineer is INR 45.9 to INR 6.01 Lakhs per year. An Automation Test Engineer salary range is INR 3 Lakhs per annum to INR 12 Lakhs per annum. Now, as per the salary trends in the US, the Automation Test Engineer salary is around $90,000 on an average per year. The annual Automation Engineer salary can be as high as $155,500 and as low as $62,000 per year. 

The average annual income of an Automation Test Engineer is not decided by the country parameter alone. There are a few other sub-factors that can affect your pay as an Automation Test Engineer. Let us take a look at those factors below.

Based on Company

There are some top companies in the industry that offer handsome salary packages to Automation Test Engineers. Here is the list of companies along with the pay they offer to the Automation Test Engineers.

Salary Based on Experience

We can never deny the importance of experience in earning a lucrative amount in any profession. Likewise, the more the experience of an Automation Test Engineer, the higher is his pay than the ones with lesser years of experience. Take a look at the table given below to understand the scenario better.

Salary Based on Skills

Last but not least is skills. Your annual pay depends on how proficient you are. Nevertheless, one must gain expertise in technical manual testing skills like test architecture, test design, etc., along with automation and programming skills to become an established Automation Test Engineer. This is how different popular skills can affect the Automation Test Engineer’s salary.

Skills Required

So far, we have seen how necessary it is to master the skills in order to draw a fine salary as an Automation Test Engineer and the effect of different skills on the average salary. Now the question arises, what are must-have skills? In answer to that, the list of skills has been fragmented into two parts – technical skills and soft skills.

Technical Skills

• Programming languages like C#, SQL, Python, etc.
• HTML, CSS, XML
• Manual Testing skills including Test design, configuration management, troubleshooting, and many more
• Proficiency in tools like Selenoid, Maven, etc.

Soft Skills

• Understanding of ATLC (Automation Testing Life Cycle) methodology
• Analytical Thinking
• Problem Solving
• Communication and Collaboration
• Agility and Time Management
• Persistence and Keen Learning Interest
• Multi-directional Perspective

A Day in the Life of an Automation Test Engineer

They ensure the usefulness of software by testing and validating whether the software is working perfectly or producing the expected output. The software development process starts with analyzing the requirement that the end product must fulfill. The second and third steps are designing and implementation as per the given specifications, respectively. Then, the most important step that comes is Testing, followed by regular maintenance. Now, the Test Engineers oversee the entire testing process, wherein the Automation Test Engineers automate the testing.

The average working hours are 8 hours per day, including breaks for lunch and snacks. The day-to-day tasks covered by an Automation Test Engineer are – running tests, analyzing test runs, developing new test scripts, product development and communication, and constant learning. Analyzing the application requires working on navigation issues, HTML structures, designing patterns, etc. You might require spending around an hour in a brainstorming session with colleagues. Another activity that consumes a quality part of your time is developing an automation framework. An Automaton test Engineer follows a tight schedule until at least half of the framework is complete. Regression Testing days can be longer than usual, which might also involve lots of meetings, online and face-to-face interactions, and email. They usually put the Automation Framework Maintenance work in the second half of the day. 

The maintenance routine consists of fixing bugs, adding new automation framework features, writing and testing automation test scripts, learning and exploring the latest tools and techniques. The test automation process is carried out as per the ATLM (Automation Testing Life Cycle Methodology). Automation Cycle starts with analyzing the flow of manual test cases and ends with executing the automated test cases and checking the results. The in-between steps involved are – time estimation for each test case automation, plan approval and automation, making use of existing frameworks and finding locators to feed input to the designed framework, and gathering data for automation framework input.

How to Become an Automation Test Engineer?

We have sorted out the complete process of how to become an automation test engineer into seven simple steps:

1. Get a Grip on Manual Testing

To get started with the career, you first need to polish your basic testing skills. Further, you must know Automation testing is just a technical extension of manual testing where the testing is automated. Thus, deep knowledge of manual testing is also a compulsion. 

2. Master Basic Coding & Technical Skills

Many of you who want to become an Automation Test Engineer or are thinking of getting a career shift to Automation Testing might want to save yourselves from coding. But, possessing basic programming knowledge is essential if you want to establish your career. C#, Python, SQL, Java, HTML, CSS, XML, and Perl are some of the most common languages an Automation Test Engineer candidate is expected to have. 

You need to have excellent core-technical skills of testing like configuration management, test architecture, troubleshooting, to name a few. Knowing where to apply automation testing instead of manual testing is also as essential as the other most required skills. 

3. Learn to Comprehend the Application

They need to understand the application of software to be tested well. Application details help you implement the test automation properly. These are the key software application details you must be aware of:

• Programming languages used for developing the application
• Platform on which application is built
• Databases behind the application
• Objective and functionalities of the software 
• Hours of manual testing spent on the application
• Result of manual testing and errors/bugs found while testing
• Expected date for the application delivery

4. Try Various Automation Testing Tools

Most of the leading enterprises are already in the favour of Automation Testing Skills. Gain experience of the best Automation Testing tools out there. Knowing the latest and trendiest automation Testing tools will improve your career exposure.

5. Learn to implement ATLM & create Strategize Test Automation

They are always expected to follow the ATLC (Automation Testing Life Cycle). Applying the ATLM (Automation Testing Life Cycle Methodology) calls for experience in the following fields – automation testing process, decision making in automation testing, automation testing tools, manual testing test, execution and management of test scripts, test program review, and assessment.  

With adequate knowledge of ATLC and automation testing tools, you are all set to figure out the most suitable Test Automation strategy. Strategizing test automation requires defining the course to reduce manual testing and play fair to the ROI of the clients. 

6. Get Started Early in Your Career

Instead of waiting for projects to come your way, grab the opportunity of experimenting on the open-source automation testing tools available online. Install any one or more of them on your PC and start perfecting your skills. Generic applications such as Amazon, Gmail, or MS Office can be of great help to you in that matter for testing. 

7. Keep Abreast of the Latest Trends and Tools

No matter which field an IT professional belongs to, learning never stops. Keeping oneself updated on the latest trends and tools is essential. The more you know, the better you optimize the test automation. 

What are the Advantages of an Automation Test Engineer Course?

Going for an Automation Test Engineer course is indeed advantageous if you are really into this field. There are a number of free and paid online courses with certificates available here. Some of the common benefits of a course are as follows:

• It can give a power boost to your automation career
• You will know when to automate test cases better
• The skills learnt can give an early start to your career
• Automation Test Engineer course certificate will help your resume stand out
• It improves chances of getting a lucrative pay
• More golden opportunities open up before you and you can get better exposure

FAQs

• What are the alternative career paths for an Automation Test Engineer?

Senior Automation Engineer, Senior QA Test Automation Engineer, Industrial Automation Engineer are the most popular alternatives for an Automation Test Engineer.

• What are the average Automation Test Engineer salaries in India and the US?

In India, the average annual salary is INR 45.9 Lakhs to INR 6.01 Lakhs. In the US, they make around $90,000 per year on average.

• Is programming knowledge necessary for an Automation Test Engineer?

Coding is inescapable in the field of testing. You cannot overlook programming and manual testing skills if you want to be a successful Test Automation Engineer. Outstanding programming skills play turn out to be a boon in the long run of an automation testing career.

• Which is the best Automation Test Engineer certification?

Some of the top certifications are: ISTQB Advanced Level Test Automation Engineer, Lambda Test Certifications, Appium Mobile App Testing, Rest API Automation Testing, Certified Cloud tester, AI in Software Testing, UFT v15. 

• What is the education requirement to become an Automation Test Engineer?

The basic educational requirement is Computer Science, Electrical or Computer Engineering. A rough estimation suggests around 71% of the population hold a Bachelor’s degree whereas the rest 21% of the population have a Master’s degree. 

Conclusion

Making a career in Automation Test Engineering is a good deal for sure. Owing to the steadily increasing investment rates in Automation, the Automation Test Engineers supposedly have an affluent and praise-worthy IT career. Your experience and skills determine the raise in your salary. This career demands outstanding automation and testing skills along with keen learning and dedication for the branch of Computer science. Looking at the complex applications and systems being developed every day, we can say Automation Testing has a brilliant current and future scope.