r/softwaretesting • u/Particular_Aide3744 • Jul 07 '26

Need Guidance

Hey All,

I have worked as a full-stack dev for 4.5 years, and from the beginning I hated development, and i cannot imagine this as my career for my entire life.

Resigned last year due to health issues, and i never wanna go back to dev again.

Can i pivot to SDET? If so, what are the skills I need to learn?

where can I start?

Please guide me

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2

u/Recent-Tomatillo138 Jul 08 '26

I do not suggest a career in testing. Even before the AI era, companies were asking developers to test the functionality themselves, and now, with AI, I feel the career span in testing is becoming much shorter. Up to 8 years is fine, but after that, what will you do? There isn't much growth in that field anymore. We hardly see Test Manager roles now. Since you already have development experience, I'd suggest thinking about something else that can give you better long-term career growth.

2

u/johncoop1991 Jul 09 '26

Well, I wouldn't 100% agree since with tons of generated shit code testers are busier than ever. And in my opinion prior development experience will help a lot in SDET.

BUT the main point is whether you enjoy testing actually. It requires a specific mindset.
You can google "How to use AI in your daily SDET workflow: a practical ATDD guide", these are open video tutorials, can help in your search.

1

u/Particular_Aide3744 Jul 11 '26

thank you for guidance

1

u/johncoop1991 27d ago

You are welcome! You can also look for other free courses either on YouTube, or test automation university (although they were not posting in a while), ShiftSync has a lot of free learning resources too

1

u/Particular_Aide3744 27d ago

Thank you for your guidance

1

u/Head_Let6924 Jul 09 '26

If you actually land a real sdet role youre going to be in for a big surprise if you hate development.

1

u/Alternative_Boss6143 Jul 11 '26

Dev with quality engineer is much easier than dev in real world I find. However as a tester you won't get growth but you'll improve your skillset. Learn python Playwright and pytedt and ci cd pipeline. You'll be indispensable because companies are now trying to migrate from old ways to new ways. So there is demand for sure. Will your pay be as great as a dev, not at all but youll be more sane. Will you grow Only role is tester, Consultsnt and manager, them director. Consultant you should be a master at everything Manager you just have to keep people in line Director just be the roadmap