Successful Career Changers: QS Bootcamp for a New Career

In today’s fast-paced working world, career changers are an asset and a valuable support for companies. They often bring fresh perspectives, exceptional skills, and an unbiased view of existing problems. At BREDEX, we have had good experiences with career changers and have decided to continue promoting this path. That is why we have decided to offer a quality assurance boot camp specifically for career changers. Based on our experience in recent years, we know the challenges associated with quality assurance in software development and have developed a tailored syllabus.

The Long Road as a Tester

There is a great need for qualified testers, and we wanted to give talented people the opportunity to develop in this field. That’s why we launched a campaign that allowed interested individuals to apply for the boot camp. From January to March 2023, we conducted interviews during an intensive application phase to select the most promising candidates. The decision was not easy, as all applicants had impressive backgrounds and a strong interest in the IT industry. Ultimately, however, we managed to select a group of highly motivated and talented individuals for the boot camp.
While we were reviewing the applications, our quality assurance department was working in parallel on developing the syllabus and topics we wanted to cover in the boot camp. Our goal was to offer participants a broad spectrum of technical topics in order to prepare them as well as possible for their future challenges.

Introduction with a focus on agile mindsets and the basics of software development

On June 1, 2023, the time had finally come—the quality assurance boot camp for career changers was launched. The participants were full of anticipation and ready to dive into the world of software testing. One of the main focuses was on acquiring an agile mindset. In a practice-oriented workshop on agility and Scrum, they gained insight into agile working methods and the importance of collaboration and flexibility in software development. These experiences will accompany them on their future career paths.

Another highlight of the boot camp was the Lego Boot Camp. Here, participants were able to learn the basics of Java and testing in a playful way. Lego Mindstorms was used to illustrate complex relationships, and participants were given the opportunity to contribute their creativity and gain their first practical experience.

Another essential component in the first few months was participation in a training course and joint learning for the ISTQB Foundation Level exam. In this exam, participants learn the basics and fundamental concepts of software testing so that they can later “speak the same language.”

Programming Languages and Database Knowledge

In addition, the basics of the Java and TypeScript programming languages were covered, as programming skills are becoming increasingly important for testers. With automated testing approaches becoming more and more prevalent and the goal of rapid feedback, it is advantageous for testers to be able to write scripts and use testing tools effectively. Therefore, another focus was on test automation with selected tools such as Cypress, Playwright, and RestAssured.

Databases and a basic understanding of them were also part of the curriculum. To make this learning process easy and understandable, we used the playful tool “SQL Murder Mystery” to supplement the explanations of our trainers.

Throughout the bootcamp, we offered participants a variety of opportunities to gain practical experience. Through shadowing, pairing, and Q&A sessions with our experts, they were able to learn from experienced colleagues and gain insights into various projects. This dialogue as a basis then enabled them to enter project work as a valuable addition to our development teams.

A Successful Start for the Road ahead

The boot camp for career changers ended on November 30, 2023. We are proud of the success the participants achieved during this intensive training phase. Not only did they acquire technical skills, but they also developed a strong understanding of agile working methods and software quality assurance.
The QA boot camp was a springboard for participants to successfully start their new careers as testers. We hope that they will continue on their path with great success at our company.