QA Course
Manual Testing from Scratch +
AI-applications Testing
+ | Internship in 🇺🇸 IT-company
AI-applications Testing
+ | Internship in 🇺🇸 IT-company
Why do only up to 30% of all students who complete some courses get jobs in IT,
while 69% get jobs after completing others?
Is your aim not just to complete a tester course but to actually get an IT job? Then let's talk about the important aspects of QA education that critically affect the launch of an IT career. They are never mentioned on mass IT course websites, and students only discover them when looking for a job.
Let's talk about them in depth, as QA engineers should (some students joke that they learned more from this landing page than from the entire previous course they took).
Let's talk about them in depth, as QA engineers should (some students joke that they learned more from this landing page than from the entire previous course they took).
1. Is QA easy?
(spoiler alert: no)
According to the World Economic Forum, 92 million old jobs will disappear by 2030 and 170 million new ones will replace them. Jobs are appearing most rapidly in areas related to high technology and AI.
But as technology becomes more complex, the requirements for newcomers are also growing. Therefore, getting an IT job is not as easy as it was five or ten years ago.
But as technology becomes more complex, the requirements for newcomers are also growing. Therefore, getting an IT job is not as easy as it was five or ten years ago.
Are the doors to IT open for me?
Yes and no.
The software development market continues to suffer from a severe shortage of qualified specialists.
There is also a shortage of QA engineers. Yet their work is extremely important as the quality of the final program or service depends on them. At the same time, it is not necessary to have a technical education — it is enough to complete a good QA course.
Read about 20 pros of working in IT.
There is also a shortage of QA engineers. Yet their work is extremely important as the quality of the final program or service depends on them. At the same time, it is not necessary to have a technical education — it is enough to complete a good QA course.
Read about 20 pros of working in IT.
Then what's the catch?
The profession of a QA engineer, like any other, is not suitable for everyone. Employers want to see only those who really have a knack for IT in general and testing in particular.
But I was told that QA is the easiest way to get into IT, and anyone can master this profession without any problems.
That's not true. It's really easy to become a tester who “checks that buttons are displayed and pushed correctly.” But it's difficult for such a specialist to find a job later on.
Becoming a QA specialist who, for example, understands Linux, debugging three-tier applications or testing AI applicatrions is more difficult.
But the career prospects are much better in this case.
Becoming a QA specialist who, for example, understands Linux, debugging three-tier applications or testing AI applicatrions is more difficult.
But the career prospects are much better in this case.
Oh, then it's probably not for me. I'm already 35 and I've never had any experience with computers.
There is no need to make hasty decisions. The average age of our students is 35. And according to our experience, former teachers and accountants make the best testers.
So how can I tell if QA is really for me?
Take a free vocational guidance course “Should You Become a QA-engineer?” It is an honest career counseling course. Only 10% of students pass it successfully.
Therefore, if you hear “Yes, QA is a good git for you” as a result, it really is.
Therefore, if you hear “Yes, QA is a good git for you” as a result, it really is.
But because of the crisis and competition from thousands of students taking “platform” courses, isn't it harder to find a job in IT now than it used to be before?
Yes, there has been an increase in the number of QA course graduates in recent years. However, very few of them are truly qualified. As before, companies find it challenging to recruit prospective testers.
Students with IT skills who have received high-quality education have no problem finding a job in IT after graduation.
Students with IT skills who have received high-quality education have no problem finding a job in IT after graduation.
It would be weird if the IT course website said otherwise. How can you prove it?
You can check the facts yourself. Mentorpiece is the only IT school that openly displays its results and publishes lists of all enrolled students and their final educational results: which IT company they now work for. Using these lists, you can personally check what percentage of enrolled students ultimately get a job.
2. Postman, Java, Python, Git, Docker, Charles, Linux, Selenium, Cypress, Playwright?
What do you really need to know to get your first IT job? And what should you NOT learn when studying QA — you won't be asked about it in the interview and you'll waste time instead of studying something you actually need?
And, most importantly, what about the new field of AI applications testing?
And, most importantly, what about the new field of AI applications testing?
To pass an interview successfully, you need to know as many different tools and technologies as possible, right?
No. Bruce Lee said: "I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times".
Undoubtedly, there is a certain expected level of knowledge and technology that employers want to see. But it's more important to them what you already know how to work with rather than a superficial familiarity with dozens of different tools.
Undoubtedly, there is a certain expected level of knowledge and technology that employers want to see. But it's more important to them what you already know how to work with rather than a superficial familiarity with dozens of different tools.
But if I don't know everything, won't I fail the interview?
The employer is trying to assess your IT skills. If they see that you are well acquainted with eight to ten tools and technologies, they will understand that you can learn the rest as well.
If you know a little bit about everything, it won't show your employer that you can master at least one tool to a sufficient level.
If you know a little bit about everything, it won't show your employer that you can master at least one tool to a sufficient level.
Okay, what is the minimum knowledge and skills required?
Here is the list:
Testing theory, processes, and documentation:
Applied testing and bug tracking systems:
Technologies and tools:
And what won't be needed?
Here is a list of things that a junior employee will definitely not need at their first job:
- Test planningThis is what leads do, not juniors.
- JMeterLoad testing is a separate field. It makes sense to study it after gaining some initial experience.
- Prometheus, Kubernetes, Grafana, Kafka, RabbitMQ, KibanaRequired in rare companies and for rare juniors.
- AWS, Power BI, CAD, ERP (1C), CRM (Bitrix, SalesForce), BI, cryptocurrencies, Firebase, Appsflyer, Applovin, AppmetricaRequired for specific companies, less than 10% of cases.
We're also cutting out the next thing:
- Java Script, Java, Python, Selenium, Cypress, PlaywrightA novice QA does not need to try to master everything related to automation at the same time as manual testing. They already have dozens of technologies and tools to learn (see the list above).
What about mobile apps testing?
Mobile application testing is a separate segment of the IT market, occupying less than 20% of it. It only makes sense to study this type of testing if you want to focus specifically on mobile development.
But I saw a course that covers the basics of manual testing, automation and mobile application testing.
IT schools offer courses in both manual testing and automation (and sometimes mobile development also) to increase the cost of the course.
As it is proved, with this approach students are not able to perform neither manual testing nor automation and mobile applications testing after graduation.
It's as if a musician learned to play all instruments at once, and a doctor learned to do both dental work and brain surgery. No one would hire such a doctor in either dentistry or neurosurgery.
We recommend starting to learn automation or mobile apps testing after 6-12 months of working as a manual tester. Ultimately, this will be both more effective and cheaper.
As it is proved, with this approach students are not able to perform neither manual testing nor automation and mobile applications testing after graduation.
It's as if a musician learned to play all instruments at once, and a doctor learned to do both dental work and brain surgery. No one would hire such a doctor in either dentistry or neurosurgery.
We recommend starting to learn automation or mobile apps testing after 6-12 months of working as a manual tester. Ultimately, this will be both more effective and cheaper.
But without knowledge of automation it's impossible to find your first job as a QA these days.
What can be realistically achieved in a reasonable time frame of three to four months, working around 20 hours per week: acquiring the necessary level of knowledge and practical skills in test design, requirements, documentation, testing levels, databases, three-tier architecture, Linux, networks, services, development methodologies and the basics of automation.
To speed up and simplify your job search, you also need to learn the latest and most relevant technologies — first and foremost, AI testing.
To speed up and simplify your job search, you also need to learn the latest and most relevant technologies — first and foremost, AI testing.
What about AI testing?
Oh, this is a rapidly developing field! AI applications testing is one of the most promising areas at the moment. Most likely, in the near future, AI QA engineers will replace traditional ones.
So, it is definitely necessary to acquire at least basic knowledge in this area — to understand the fundamental differences between AI systems and classic software, as well as the types of AI applications. It would also be useful to study Vibe coding.
Since 2024, Mentorpiece students have been doing internships at AI companies, and we have accumulated considerable experience in AI applications testing from a practical point of view.
So, it is definitely necessary to acquire at least basic knowledge in this area — to understand the fundamental differences between AI systems and classic software, as well as the types of AI applications. It would also be useful to study Vibe coding.
Since 2024, Mentorpiece students have been doing internships at AI companies, and we have accumulated considerable experience in AI applications testing from a practical point of view.
May I see an overall list of what needs to be studied?
Of course! Here is a detailed program of what is studied at Mentorpiece in the course “Manual Testing from Scratch + AI-applications Testing + a 4-month internship at an IT company.”
Please note that the program covers topics in depth that are not covered in other courses for beginners. For example, defect localization in three-tier applications or AI application testing practices.
Please note that the program covers topics in depth that are not covered in other courses for beginners. For example, defect localization in three-tier applications or AI application testing practices.
The course also includes:
Duration: 4 months
Real business project: yes
Hours spent working on the project: 200+
Amount of standups: 40
Lead mentor: yes
Lead intern: yes
Opportunity to become the lead intern: yes
The opportunity to add experience to your resume: yes
The internship is not included in the course and its cost.
Internship is provided separately and free of charge.
Real business project: yes
Hours spent working on the project: 200+
Amount of standups: 40
Lead mentor: yes
Lead intern: yes
Opportunity to become the lead intern: yes
The opportunity to add experience to your resume: yes
The internship is not included in the course and its cost.
Internship is provided separately and free of charge.
FINAL EXAM-INTERVIEW
Individual: yes
Feedback: instantly
Feedback: instantly
INDIVIDUAL MENTORSHIP ON INTERNATIONAL EMPLOYMENT
SDL Employment Course Interstate 60: yes
Assistance in preparing a resume: yes
Assistance in preparing cover letters: yes
Individual mentorship on employment: yes
Duration: until an offer is received
Assistance in preparing a resume: yes
Assistance in preparing cover letters: yes
Individual mentorship on employment: yes
Duration: until an offer is received
Course in numbers
80 / 160 / 200+ hours
theory / practice / internship
4 + 4
months
months
main course +
internship
internship
15
students
students
maximum amount of
students in the group
students in the group
71
years
years
experience of IT course mentors: 24+20+14+13
3. How to become a QA engineer in
🇺🇸🇨🇦🇳🇱🇵🇱🇦🇹🇭🇺🇭🇷🇷🇸🇨🇾🇮🇱🇦🇪🇬🇪🇦🇲🇰🇿🇰🇬🇦🇺?
The job search for IT immigrants does not differ fundamentally from country to country — the technical requirements for IT specialists are roughly the same everywhere. On the other hand, almost every country has its own characteristics that need to be taken into account when studying.
🇺🇸 USA, 🇨🇦 Canada, 🇳🇱 Netherlands, 🇵🇱 Poland, 🇦🇹 Austria, 🇭🇺 Hungary, 🇭🇷 Croatia, 🇷🇸 Serbia, 🇨🇾 Cyprus, 🇮🇱 Israel, 🇦🇪 UAE, 🇬🇪 Georgia, 🇦🇲 Armenia, 🇰🇿 Kazakhstan, 🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan, 🇦🇺 Australia — IT companies in these countries now have our graduates working for them. And with each of them, during our employment mentorship, we had to dive into the nuances of how to find a QA job in the US, Europe and other regions.
🇺🇸 USA, 🇨🇦 Canada, 🇳🇱 Netherlands, 🇵🇱 Poland, 🇦🇹 Austria, 🇭🇺 Hungary, 🇭🇷 Croatia, 🇷🇸 Serbia, 🇨🇾 Cyprus, 🇮🇱 Israel, 🇦🇪 UAE, 🇬🇪 Georgia, 🇦🇲 Armenia, 🇰🇿 Kazakhstan, 🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan, 🇦🇺 Australia — IT companies in these countries now have our graduates working for them. And with each of them, during our employment mentorship, we had to dive into the nuances of how to find a QA job in the US, Europe and other regions.
What are the nuances?
Not all countries require only English language skills to work in IT. For example, one of our graduates found that it is practically impossible to find an IT job in Japan without a good knowledge of Japanese.
And what level of English is required to work in other countries?
B1 may be sufficient for performing technical duties as a junior QA. A more diverse vocabulary is required to pass interviews, so it is better to have B2.
How else do countries differ?
In some countries, it is better to work “inside.” For example, if you live in the US, it is difficult to provide yourself with an adequate standard of living if you earn a “non-American” salary.
When living in some other countries, it is better to focus on getting a remote job. The above-mentioned graduate from Japan ended up getting a job at an IT company in Australia — no other language besides English is required, the time zones are almost the same and Australian salaries are twice as high as Japanese ones.
When living in some other countries, it is better to focus on getting a remote job. The above-mentioned graduate from Japan ended up getting a job at an IT company in Australia — no other language besides English is required, the time zones are almost the same and Australian salaries are twice as high as Japanese ones.
What other issues might there be?
In some countries, IT employers pay particular attention to formal education and certifications, while in others this is considered a low priority.
Due to cultural differences in some countries it is better to adapt your first and last names in your resume to sound more local.
Technical requirements for applicants may also vary from region to region.
Due to cultural differences in some countries it is better to adapt your first and last names in your resume to sound more local.
Technical requirements for applicants may also vary from region to region.
I am specifically interested in the situation in country N.
A detailed analysis of the specifics of IT employment for relocates in all popular countries would fill a large book.
If you have a question about a specific country, you can contact us using the form at the bottom of this page. If we have alumni (employed graduates) in that country, we will share their stories with you.
If you have a question about a specific country, you can contact us using the form at the bottom of this page. If we have alumni (employed graduates) in that country, we will share their stories with you.
4. Why do employers dislike IT courses?
Because they don't need “onlookers,” they need skilled workers. The employer expects that you will be able to do something useful for the company within the first month of your probationary period.
Most free and paid QA courses use online lectures or webinars when teaching — where you just sit and watch. These are the cheapest training formats for courses, but as a result you will only gain knowledge — not practical skills. This is the number 1️⃣ out of three main reasons why most students of an average course fail to find IT jobs.
Most free and paid QA courses use online lectures or webinars when teaching — where you just sit and watch. These are the cheapest training formats for courses, but as a result you will only gain knowledge — not practical skills. This is the number 1️⃣ out of three main reasons why most students of an average course fail to find IT jobs.
But after online lectures, you have to do homework — won't that help me acquire necessary practical skills?
It's difficult to make something more or less complex on your own the first time around if you've never done anything like it before.
When you watch a lecture, everything seems to be clear and easy. When you try to do it yourself later, it turns out that you do not understand anything.
Therefore, courses with online lectures offer relatively simple tasks as homework assignments. They are focused more on memorizing the theory covered than on developing practical skills.
As a result, employers see that such specialists will need a lot of practical training and are therefore not eager to pay them a salary.
When you watch a lecture, everything seems to be clear and easy. When you try to do it yourself later, it turns out that you do not understand anything.
Therefore, courses with online lectures offer relatively simple tasks as homework assignments. They are focused more on memorizing the theory covered than on developing practical skills.
As a result, employers see that such specialists will need a lot of practical training and are therefore not eager to pay them a salary.
What are the options?
Here are three main formats for online QA education:
- LectureThe mentor demonstrates how to do the task and the students are watching.
The result for the student: “I thought I understood everything during the lecture, but when it came to doing the homework, I had to consult ChatGPT.”
❌ practical skills - WebinarThe mentor demonstrates how to do the task and the students ask questions.
The result for the student: “I was able to question the mentor, but I did not complete any tasks myself.”
❌ practical skills - WorkshopThe mentor gives the assignment, the students do it while mentor is watching and giving hints.
The result for the student: “We talked about different ways of solving the task, I tried to do it myself, we figured out the problems, the mentor checked how well I did it, then I answered the mentor's questions and now I'm ready to do a difficult homework assignment to reinforce what I've learned.”
✅ practical skills
There are combined formats as well. For example, a master class is basically a webinar + workshop.
So, in terms of results, is a workshop the best educational format?
Yes, because this is the only format where you perform real IT tasks on your own. Your mentor observes your decisions and gives you immediate feedback.
Other educational formats will not build real practical skills and will not make you more valuable for employers.
It is unlikely that you would be willing to undergo surgery performed by a doctor who studied through online lectures and has never performed a single operation.
Another analogy can be made:
Other educational formats will not build real practical skills and will not make you more valuable for employers.
It is unlikely that you would be willing to undergo surgery performed by a doctor who studied through online lectures and has never performed a single operation.
Another analogy can be made:
If driving schools taught how to drive the same way as
QA courses do:
QA courses do:
Lecture
"Today I am going to show you how to use the steering wheel, pedals and gearbox. Your homework assignment will be to find a car and try to do it yourself".
Workshop
"Now everyone gets into the car and, under the guidance of an instructor, practices starting the engine and shifting into first gear".
When it comes to driving a vehicle for a transport company, they don't need someone who knows how to drive.
They need someone who can drive.
They need someone who can drive.
Okay, but how will the mentor be able to observe each student's work and give them feedback if there are 30, 50, or more students in the study group?
Great question! That's exactly why courses don't like to organize workshops.
An online lecture can be attended by up to 100 students at the same time.
But in order for a mentor to be able to devote time to each student during a two-hour practical workshop, there should be no more than 15-20 people in the study group.
This means that online lectures can attract several times more students (and money) than workshops. That's why online lectures are such a popular format of education.
An online lecture can be attended by up to 100 students at the same time.
But in order for a mentor to be able to devote time to each student during a two-hour practical workshop, there should be no more than 15-20 people in the study group.
This means that online lectures can attract several times more students (and money) than workshops. That's why online lectures are such a popular format of education.
I see. So, the workshop format isn't beneficial for the course, but it is beneficial for me as a student.
But what about knowledge? If the mentor immediately gives us a practical assignment to do in the workshop, where do I learn the theory—what to do and how to do it? So, lectures are necessary after all?
But what about knowledge? If the mentor immediately gives us a practical assignment to do in the workshop, where do I learn the theory—what to do and how to do it? So, lectures are necessary after all?
No, it is possible and necessary to study without online lectures entirely.
The fact is that the information density of speech is very low. Lecturers explaining complex technical concepts are usually slower than people in normal conversation — the average speed does not exceed 100 words per minute. The net time of a two-hour lecture, excluding breaks and questions, does not exceed 90 minutes. This means that during this time, the lecturer will say around 9,000 words.
9,000 words is approximately 20 pages of text. It takes only half an hour to read this amount of text. However, many lecturers do not have the best diction, and not all of them are able to speak without repetition or without being distracted by unrelated questions. Isn't that too much time wasted?
Wouldn't it be better to give students all the theory in text form?
And turn all classes into practical work with a mentor?
The fact is that the information density of speech is very low. Lecturers explaining complex technical concepts are usually slower than people in normal conversation — the average speed does not exceed 100 words per minute. The net time of a two-hour lecture, excluding breaks and questions, does not exceed 90 minutes. This means that during this time, the lecturer will say around 9,000 words.
9,000 words is approximately 20 pages of text. It takes only half an hour to read this amount of text. However, many lecturers do not have the best diction, and not all of them are able to speak without repetition or without being distracted by unrelated questions. Isn't that too much time wasted?
Wouldn't it be better to give students all the theory in text form?
And turn all classes into practical work with a mentor?
Maybe.
How do they usually do it on real IT projects? How do experienced middles and seniors pass on their knowledge to newbies?
How do they usually do it on real IT projects? How do experienced middles and seniors pass on their knowledge to newbies?
They teach according to the “theory in text form + practice under the supervision of a lead mentor” scheme.
When you first join a project, you will be asked to read the technical documentation for it — that is, to study the theory.
After that, the lead or one of the middles will ask you to complete a real task. They will give you guidance on how to proceed and then provide feedback on what you did well and what could have been done differently.
When you first join a project, you will be asked to read the technical documentation for it — that is, to study the theory.
After that, the lead or one of the middles will ask you to complete a real task. They will give you guidance on how to proceed and then provide feedback on what you did well and what could have been done differently.
Okay, I understand — it's better to spend as much time as possible in class doing practical work with a mentor, and I can read up on the theory myself beforehand.
That's right. And in order for the mentor to be able to devote time to you, there should be no more than 15-20 students in the group.
For example, this is how it is organized at Mentorpiece:
For example, this is how it is organized at Mentorpiece:
-
- Interactive textbook with online tests and simulators
Includes all the necessary theory about testing.
The students prepare for a practical workshop by reading the theory in the following chapter of the interactive textbook.
❓ If they have a question while reading the chapter, they can ask it in the study group chat or send a direct message to the mentor. In both cases, the workshop mentor will respond, not a curator/assistant/tutor/reviewer.
Then, 24 hours before the workshop, each student must take an online test in the textbook.
❓ If the test is not passed, the mentor receives a notification about this in LCS (learning care system) and the mentor writes to the student to find out if they have any questions or need any help. - 2. Practical team workshopIn Mentorpiece, absolutely all lessons of the course are exclusively practical workshops.
A maximum of 15 students, one mentor and real QA tasks.
At each worksho students work in teams, just like on a regular IT project — they look for ways to solve the problems with their classmates, while the mentor, acting as the project lead, guides and helps them. This gives students the practical skills that employers need so much.
❓ If a student still has questions at the start of the workshop, they can ask the mentor via Zoom at the beginning of the session.
❓ If he has a question while performing one of the practical tasks, he can also ask it aloud and the mentor will answer.
❓ If, at the end of the workshop, a student has questions about the homework assignment, they can also ask them.
❓ Asking questions is encouraged by the mentor, who makes sure that every student asks or answers a question during the workshop. - 3. HomeworkAfter the team workshop, students have 7 days until the soft deadline (or 14 days until the hard deadline) to complete their homework assignment.
Since by this point the student not only knows how to do the assignment but also has practical skills, the homework is not just educational but as close as possible to real IT tasks.
❓ If a student has a question while doing their homework, they can ask it in the study group chat (where the mentor who led the workshop will respond) or directly to the mentor in a private chat.
❓ If a student has not submitted their homework after soft deadline, the mentor will contact the student to ask if they need any help.
❓ If a student suddenly has a lot of questions and doesn't know what to do, the mentor can answer their questions in a one-on-one Zoom call (unlimited and free).
❓ If several students suddenly have a lot of questions, they will receive answers in an additional session for the whole group — via Zoom voice chat.
❓ If the mentor's help is not enough, the student can contact the educational director any time for assistance via anonymous feedback, which can be filled out at the end of each study block (analyzed by the educational director on a weekly basis).
- If you count the ❓, you can see how many times a student has the opportunity to receive help or advice directly from a mentor with over 10 years of experience in IT during their studies.
And that's not including the internship at an IT company, where you can and should ask questions to better apply theory into practice.
Do students who study via online lectures have the opportunity to ask as many questions?
When taking a free course, only ChatGPT (which occasionally hallucinates) will answer their questions.
When taking a paid course, there will be dozens or hundreds of students in their group. Therefore, they will not be able to ask questions during online lectures, and when completing homework assignments, their questions in the chat will be answered by less experienced curators/assistants/tutors/reviewers — but not by the same mentor who hosted the online lecture.
- All of the above is done under the guidance of QA mentors with at least 10 years of IT experience.The minimal IT experience required for a Mentorpiece mentor is 10 years. There are no curators/assistants/tutors/reviewers (some of whom typically have no IT experience whatsoever).
An experienced mentor works with a group of up to 15 students:
✓ The mentor makes sure you understand the theory
✓ The mentor answers all your questions
✓ The mentor conducts workshops with you
✓ The mentor helps you acquire skills
✓ The mentor checks your homework
✓ The mentor gives you feedback
Four QA mentors with 10+ years of IT experience answer the questions of 15 students.
- Lilia UrmazovaFounder of Mentorpiece, Chief QA Expert Mentor (AM)
QA engineer since 2001,
QA mentor since 2004.
Worked in Star Software, Exigen Services, Grid Dynamics; worked as a mentor in Luxoft, Grid Dynamics educational centers. See more.
I like QA because this profession allows me to participate in the entire software development process from A to Z and work with a lot of people at once.
I am a good QA mentor because I am good at explaining complex things using simple examples, pictures, diagrams and tables.
- Alexander AlexeevQA Expert Mentor in Test Design, DB, API, and WebUI / QA Lead at Dataloft
Works in QA since 2011.
Worked in Ontarget, Bank PSB PJSC.
I like QA because it offers well-rounded professional development and requires me to constantly learn new things.
I’m a good QA mentor because I love seeing people achieve what they set out to learn.
- Nikolai GladnevQA Expert Mentor in Linux, API Testing, and WebUI / QA Engineer at Exness (CY)
Works in IT since 2011.
Worked in Arrival, Aplana, Nexign, Humans Engineering.
I like QA because it involves dealing with complex technical issues.
I am a good QA mentor because I really love tricky questions from students.
- Fedor KulishovNetwork Expert Mentor / Lead Security Expert at Acronis (CH)
Works in IT since 2005.
Worked in several startups, NIIVOSKHOD, Positive Technologies.
I like IT, especially security, because you always have to stay on top of things and there's always something interesting to explore. Plus, I'm surrounded by talented professionals who are passionate about their work.
I am a good QA mentor because I enjoy seeing the excitement in my students' eyes, noticing their progress and receiving gratitude and kind wishes.
- Maxim UsmanovExpert mentor in Git, Docker and AT / Lead QA Automation Engineer at Semrush (US)
Works in IT since 2012.
Worked in Deutsche Bank, Motorola Solutions, Digital Design.
I like IT because it allows me to satisfy my inner perfectionist and contribute to improvement, since we are discussing QA.
I am a good QA mentor because I like to explain complicated things in simple terms. This is the only way I know.
COMPARISON TABLE
- To sum up, students will only acquire the maximum amount of practical skills when performing tasks that are as close as possible to real IT tasks in conditions that are as close as possible to IT conditions.Not as a result of watching lectures or completing homework assignments.
But by working in a small team under the direct supervision of an experienced lead mentor.
As one student said:
“
I got a call from some course offering to watch webinars for money. I asked, “Why would I do that? I can find that stuff for free on the internet.” I need practical experience.
Want to see for yourself how students gain practical skills by solving IT problems in a team of 15 under the guidance of a mentor? Take a look at how the practical workshops are conducted.
5. You need experience to get a job, but you need a job to get experience?
Nowadays, employers specify IT experience as a requirement even in junior vacancies. They expect to see at least three months of commercial experience (if less, it means that the probationary period has not been completed).
Many QA courses recommend adding the course itself to your resume as work experience. Others recommend presenting a couple of weeks of internship as full-fledged commercial experience. Some recommend creating a fake “legend.” All of this is deceiving the employer, which often gets discovered.
This is reason number 2️⃣ for low employment rates after most courses.
Many QA courses recommend adding the course itself to your resume as work experience. Others recommend presenting a couple of weeks of internship as full-fledged commercial experience. Some recommend creating a fake “legend.” All of this is deceiving the employer, which often gets discovered.
This is reason number 2️⃣ for low employment rates after most courses.
Why do even juniors need to have commercial experience in IT?
As we mentioned above, employers expect you to be able to do something useful for the company during your probationary period.
If you have only completed an online course, it is unlikely that you will be able to do anything, and the company will have to spend time and money on additional training. If you have already worked on a real IT project, that is a different matter.
If you have only completed an online course, it is unlikely that you will be able to do anything, and the company will have to spend time and money on additional training. If you have already worked on a real IT project, that is a different matter.
But where can a junior get practical experience if they first need to get their first job?
This is a question for the courses, not for employers. Courses now teach many testers, therefore employers have plenty to choose from.
Some courses give students full commercial experience.
However, most courses are physically unable to provide it.
Some courses give students full commercial experience.
However, most courses are physically unable to provide it.
Why not?
To answer this question, let's first look at what employers mean by full-fledged experience working on a commercial IT project:
- ✅ 1. COMMERCIAL PROJECTNot a pet project, not a non-profit organization, not an open source project.
Why: No one sets high standards for employees on unpaid projects. Therefore, even if an employee is low-skilled or can only work on a project for a few hours a week, everyone will be okay with that.
On commercial projects, the standards are completely different—after all, someone is responsible for the outcome financially. - ✅ 2. WORKING WITHIN THE DEVELOPMENT TEAM OF AN IT COMPANYNot testing separate functionality “on the side”.
Why: It is difficult to understand technical requirements if you cannot question the customer. It is difficult to understand the specifics of implementation if you cannot question the developer.
Without this interaction, the QA engineer misses out on a significant part of the experience.
And half of a QA's job is precisely to interact with the customer's representative (product owner or stakeholder) and the development team. - ✅ 3. FULL TECHNICAL STACKAnd not just testing some single part of the application.
Why: If you only test the application interface, you will not gain enough experience and will not be able to hold a conversation about API or database testing during a job interview.
In most commercial IT projects, the QA is responsible for the entire application—from the interface and business logic layer to the API and database. - ✅ 4. MINIMAL DURATION IS 4 MONTHSNot a few weeks or a month or two.
Why: The standard probation period is three months. If an employee has worked for “almost three months” or less, then most likely they have not passed their probation period. If an HR specialist sees this on a resume, it would be a red flag for them.
Another consequence of short internships related to the previous points: no one will spend time integrating an intern into the development team and familiarizing them with the entire technical stack if they are only coming to work for a month. Onboarding will take more time than it will bring benefits.
So why are most courses “physically” unable to organize a four-month internship within a commercial IT project with the entire stack?
For the same reason that courses love online lectures and dislike practical workshops. It is very expensive for mass education.
The average size of a study group for most courses is tens or hundreds of students.
At the same time, the average size of a commercial IT project team is 5 to 15 specialists—a project manager, developers, QA engineers and sometimes analysts and designers. One project may take on five interns, sometimes a little more, but definitely not fifty. The project would not be able to “digest” so many newcomers.
It turns out that a mass course needs dozens of IT projects at once so that each student in a single study group can gain full commercial experience. These projects need to be found, agreements need to be reached with each of them and each one needs to organize all the months of internships and thoroughly immerse each student.
No mass course will do this; it is cheaper for them to organize an internship on their own, i.e., an emulation of work on a real project.
The average size of a study group for most courses is tens or hundreds of students.
At the same time, the average size of a commercial IT project team is 5 to 15 specialists—a project manager, developers, QA engineers and sometimes analysts and designers. One project may take on five interns, sometimes a little more, but definitely not fifty. The project would not be able to “digest” so many newcomers.
It turns out that a mass course needs dozens of IT projects at once so that each student in a single study group can gain full commercial experience. These projects need to be found, agreements need to be reached with each of them and each one needs to organize all the months of internships and thoroughly immerse each student.
No mass course will do this; it is cheaper for them to organize an internship on their own, i.e., an emulation of work on a real project.
What are the options then?
If there are no more than 15 students in a single study group, it is much easier to find an IT company that would be ready for a long-term commercial project with full onboarding of juniors.
Here's how it looks like in Mentorpiece's case:
Here's how it looks like in Mentorpiece's case:
1. COMMERCIAL PROJECT
✅ Only commercial projects — in 🇺🇸 American IT-companies.
2. WORKING WITHIN THE DEVELOPMENT TEAM OF AN IT COMPANY
✅ Interns work as full-fledged QA engineers within the team.
3. FULL TECHNICAL STACK
✅ Testing of the UI, API, business logic layer, database and, as usual, AI functionality.
4. MINIMAL DURATION IS 4 MONTHS
✅ All Mentorpiece students must complete an internship. It lasts for a minimum of 4 months in either a “2 months during studies + 2 months after studies” format or a “4 months after studies” format, depending on the student's preference.
Result: students gain valuable and honest 4-month commercial experience, which they can add to their CVs and which helps them pass the HR filter much faster. During interviews, they have the opportunity to talk not about “what I learned about this in class,” but “how I personally implemented this in an IT project.” This allows them to get their first IT job within a couple of months of an active search.
✅ Only commercial projects — in 🇺🇸 American IT-companies.
2. WORKING WITHIN THE DEVELOPMENT TEAM OF AN IT COMPANY
✅ Interns work as full-fledged QA engineers within the team.
3. FULL TECHNICAL STACK
✅ Testing of the UI, API, business logic layer, database and, as usual, AI functionality.
4. MINIMAL DURATION IS 4 MONTHS
✅ All Mentorpiece students must complete an internship. It lasts for a minimum of 4 months in either a “2 months during studies + 2 months after studies” format or a “4 months after studies” format, depending on the student's preference.
Result: students gain valuable and honest 4-month commercial experience, which they can add to their CVs and which helps them pass the HR filter much faster. During interviews, they have the opportunity to talk not about “what I learned about this in class,” but “how I personally implemented this in an IT project.” This allows them to get their first IT job within a couple of months of an active search.
OVERALL COMPARISON
Want to see for yourself how internships are conducted?
✓ Video recordings of final retrospectives during internships
✓ Video reviews from managers of companies hosting internships
✓ Detailed reports from students and leads on the progress of internships
✓ Students' personal impressions of the challenges they faced
See reviews of Mentorpiece internships on the page.
✓ Video recordings of final retrospectives during internships
✓ Video reviews from managers of companies hosting internships
✓ Detailed reports from students and leads on the progress of internships
✓ Students' personal impressions of the challenges they faced
See reviews of Mentorpiece internships on the page.
6. When do students need help the most?
Attending classes and completing homework assignments is the easiest part of starting an IT career.
The main difficulties begin after graduation — endless responses to job postings with rare replies from HRs and interviews that don't lead to job offers. At this stage, video lectures prove to be completely useless and ChatGPT can't help either. It is at this point that many students decide they have made a mistake and choose to stay in their old profession.
The main difficulties begin after graduation — endless responses to job postings with rare replies from HRs and interviews that don't lead to job offers. At this stage, video lectures prove to be completely useless and ChatGPT can't help either. It is at this point that many students decide they have made a mistake and choose to stay in their old profession.
I shouldn't have any problems finding a job — I'm considering a course that guarantees employment.
It is worth reading the public offer of the course carefully.
Usually, guaranteed employment is defined as the course organizing three interviews for the graduate. Even if all three interviews are unsuccessful, the offer considers the course to have fulfilled its obligations.
Usually, guaranteed employment is defined as the course organizing three interviews for the graduate. Even if all three interviews are unsuccessful, the offer considers the course to have fulfilled its obligations.
So, is this a scam?
It is only considered a scam if the offer contains conditions that are obviously impossible to fulfill — for example, guaranteed employment requires completing all homework assignments with the highest possible grades.
In most cases, the course cannot actually guarantee employment. If the course does not have an entrance selection process and strictly controlled training, how can it be guaranteed that an unmotivated student who has not studied properly will actually become competitive?
In most cases, the course cannot actually guarantee employment. If the course does not have an entrance selection process and strictly controlled training, how can it be guaranteed that an unmotivated student who has not studied properly will actually become competitive?
Don't the career tracks offered by the courses help?
In most cases, career tracks only help you prepare your resume and cover letter. This is a useful activity—as long as the course doesn't encourage you to fake experience on your resume or “teach” you how to cheat during interviews.
What's wrong with making up fake additional experience?
Experienced interviewers can easily tell when a candidate has exaggerated their experience or is attempting to cheat. If a course encourages this behavior, it indicates that the student initially chose a low-quality education.
What other help could there be besides preparing resume and cover letter?
There should be someone who will work with you individually until you receive an offer. Someone who knows your strengths and weaknesses in terms of hard and soft skills and can guide you in the right direction based on this knowledge.
So, is this someone like my personal mentor?
That's right. There were some athletes who won Olympic Games without a coach, but most competitors had one. The coach set the pace, guided, helped and supported them during difficult moments.
Since finding a job can take two to three months or even longer, you need someone who will help you reach the finish line.
Since finding a job can take two to three months or even longer, you need someone who will help you reach the finish line.
What exactly does this mentor-coach do?
Here is the kind of assistance (we call it “individual employment mentorship”) that a mentor provides in the case of Mentorpiece:
- At the beginning of individual employment mentorship, the mentor:✓ Ensures that the mentee is ready to look for a job.
✓ Checks that the resume meets the required standard. - Furthermore, in each weekly sprint, mentor provides feedback on:✓ Response strategies, profiles of companies to which the mentee responds.
✓ Тexts of individual cover letters.
✓ Networking, text of individual messages to interesting companies.
✓ Displayed artifacts.
✓ Completed test assignments (Mentorpiece is categorically against completing test assignments for mentees (as is the case in some courses); however, we consider the analysis of completed test assignments to be a useful activity that concludes the learning process. If a student is not entirely sure about a completed test, they can show it to their mentor before submitting it, and the mentor will either confirm that the line of thinking is correct or, without going into detail, say that the wrong approach has been chosen).
✓ Analysis of interviews conducted (if the mentee recorded them), areas for improvement.
✓ Tactics for action after submitting a test assignment, passing an interview and so on. - Participants in the employment mentorship program receive:✓ The mentor's accumulated experience with offers that have already been received (“this leads to an offer, this does not”).
✓ Protection in the company from the chief mentor through LinkedIn.
✓ Direct protection in the company from the chief mentor.
✓ Access to the job vacancy alert system.
✓ Answers to any questions from mentors and alumni.
✓ Sharing interview experiences with other mentees.
✓ Moral support from a mentor and other mentees (this is the simplest thing, but sometimes the most important when another rejection comes along). - Important: the coach-mentor is an experienced IT specialist (not HR).Mentorpiece does not rely on former HR professionals or inexperienced mentors for employment mentorship. Many other courses do so because HR time is cheaper than the time of an experienced QA mentor.
Yes, HR professionals know better how to pass the initial selection process for a job vacancy. But they have a poorer understanding of how to prepare for technical interviews and are not familiar with the nuances of networking — online job search.
What is the maximum duration of employment mentorship?
No time limit. The current mentorship record is six months. The student had a difficult situation and her choice of vacancies was limited.
But she and her mentor did not give up, and in the end everything turned out successfully — she received an offer for a remote position 6 months after joining employment mentorship
But she and her mentor did not give up, and in the end everything turned out successfully — she received an offer for a remote position 6 months after joining employment mentorship
Is individual employment mentorship available to all graduates?
Yes, everyone who successfully completes the course receives this opportunity.
7. How to waste money on a useless QA course?
7. How to waste money on a useless QA course?
✅ Good news - you can find many course reviews online.
❌ Bad news — about 30-40% of them are left by marketers.
❌ Bad news — about 30-40% of them are left by marketers.
30-40%, seriously?
Unfortunately, according to various sources, around 30-40% of reviews posted online are fake. According to research by CHEQ and the University of Baltimore, fake reviews cause around $80 billion worth of damage to the global economy every year.
Since the online education market is competitive, the percentage of fake reviews about IT courses may be even higher.
Since the online education market is competitive, the percentage of fake reviews about IT courses may be even higher.
So how can I find out what the course is all about and whether I will be able to get a job in IT after completing it?
Sharing our experience — a story of how we asked students to share their learning journey over the years:
- 2016-2022 — text reviews on our own websiteInitially, we posted stories from students who had completed their education directly on the Mentorpiece website.
Cons of this decision:
❌ If a student leaves positive feedback saying “I got a job after completing the course,” this does not mean that other students got one too.
❌ Students who did not like the course are reluctant to leave feedback, even if the company is willing to publish it for the sake of objectivity (after all, there is no such thing as a course that everyone likes).
❌ Many QA courses began posting clearly fake reviews on their websites. As a result, applicants' trust in the reviews on the courses' own websites has dropped dramatically. - 2022 — video reviews on YouTubeTo increase the level of credibility of the feedback, we started asking students to record video reviews about their studies.
This temporarily solved the problem of low trust. But then AI came along, and it became possible to fake video reviews too. And the problems of “I'm embarrassed to leave a negative review” and “you found a job, but what about the other students in the group?” remained.
- 2023 — feedback on review websitesBecause of these shortcomings, we started asking students to leave their feedback on review sites, since the course doesn't have access to it. It seems like they check if the reviews are real and everything is fair.
We were somewhat mistaken about the latter. As it turned out:
❌ Review websites charge money for importing positive reviews (without verifying their origin) and for increasing the number of stars.
❌ Courses post fake negative reviews about competitors' products, and they successfully pass reality checks.
❌ Finally, review sites themselves post fake negative reviews about courses so that those courses will then come to them and pay for positive reviews to be posted.
In other words, disreputable courses may not care about the quality of education—it is enough to “invest” in purchasing the necessary number of positive reviews.
As a course that invests effort, time and money in the employment of each student rather than in advertising, we were not satisfied with such unfair competition.
At some point, we thought: how can we show the effectiveness of our education as openly as possible?
We decided to publish lists of all enrolled students, indicating what each student achieved at the end of their studies:
As a course that invests effort, time and money in the employment of each student rather than in advertising, we were not satisfied with such unfair competition.
At some point, we thought: how can we show the effectiveness of our education as openly as possible?
We decided to publish lists of all enrolled students, indicating what each student achieved at the end of their studies:
How to | any review about Mentorpiece
The named lists of all students enrolled in Mentorpiece and all graduates who have obtained IT jobs, along with the names of the companies, contain the following information:
- Named list of all students enrolled in a particular study groupThe lists include all enrolled students who have attended at least one class.
The lists include all enrolled students who have attended at least one class. In some courses, less than half of the students who initially enrolled complete the program. Therefore, when choosing a program, it is essential to pay attention to the number of students who do not complete the course and, if possible, ask them what prevented them from doing so.
Thanks to Mentorpiece's name lists, you can contact any student in any study group:
Both those who started an IT career and were most likely satisfied with their education and those who did not and were most likely dissatisfied with something. - Educational outcomeThe results of each student's studies are listed. If they have found a job in IT, the name of the company where they now work is indicated.
- Way №1 to contact any student — TelegramThe lists contain each student's Telegram ID, allowing you to contact anybody from the study group directly and ask any questions you may have.
- Way №2 to contact any student — LinkedInLinkedIn is the world's leading professional social network. It is the only social network that allows you to not only specify your place of work, but also displays all the employees in the company's profile (which helps to fight against imposters who “ self-declare” their positions).
This social network also often requests identity verification documents during registration, making it more difficult to create fake accounts.
The LinkedIn contact of each employed graduate allows you to verify their employment status and send them a direct message. - What percentage of students get jobs in IT?After completing an average testing course, only up to 30% of applicants get a job in IT. Thanks to our named lists, you can see for yourself that more than 2 times more students get jobs in IT after studying at Mentorpiece.
You can talk to any student in any study group to learn about their first-hand experience of studying and finding a job. This means you are guaranteed to get information from a real student rather than having to rack your brains over reviews posted online, trying to figure out whether they are genuine or written by a marketer.
Mentorpiece is the only IT school that publishes such named lists.
On your lists, I see that 69% of all applicants were employed in 2024. And on the website of another course, it says that 90% of their students find jobs.
Unfortunately, you can write anything you want on a landing page.
- 69%If you find a course that can prove (with evidence such as our named lists) that the employment rate is higher than 69% of all enrolled students, you can study at Mentorpiece completely free of charge. .
Please note that we are talking about 69% of all enrolled students, not graduates. Courses sometimes calculate statistics in a very tricky way.
For more details, see the section “Opportunity: study completely free of charge!” below.
8. How much does it cost to take the QA course that shows results (literally)?
8. How much does it cost to take the QA course that shows results (literally)?
Watching streaming lectures and webinars or solving real IT problems in a team with your own hands?
Lectures are cheaper, but after them students often have to pay again — to get not only knowledge but also the skills and experience necessary for a job offer.
Fully practical education with a long internship is more expensive than lectures, but it leads to employment more than twice more often and pays for itself in just two or three months of working in IT.
Lectures are cheaper, but after them students often have to pay again — to get not only knowledge but also the skills and experience necessary for a job offer.
Fully practical education with a long internship is more expensive than lectures, but it leads to employment more than twice more often and pays for itself in just two or three months of working in IT.
Price for one place in a study group of 15 students
+ 4 months long internship in 🇺🇸 IT-company
+ employment mentorship prior to an offer
+ 4 months long internship in 🇺🇸 IT-company
+ employment mentorship prior to an offer
Installment plan “no obligation”
$816 per month
• 6 equal payments with no interest, fees or insurance
• no obligations: Mentorpiece offers installment plans without any paperwork
• if necessary, simply do not make the next payment to interrupt your studies
• no obligations: Mentorpiece offers installment plans without any paperwork
• if necessary, simply do not make the next payment to interrupt your studies
with 100% prepayment
$4'410
• 10% discount for a 100% prepayment
• if you need to interrupt your studies, you will receive a refund for the classes you have not attended
• if you need to interrupt your studies, you will receive a refund for the classes you have not attended
And if you book early, you can economize:
Even cheaper: these discounts can be combined with the discount for 100% prepayment.
- 10%
for the first 5 places in the study group10% discount for places
#1,2,3,4,5 in the group. - 5%
for the second 5 places in the study group5% discount for places
#6,7,8,9,10 in the group. - 5%
cashback5% cashback for you and 5% discount for a friend.
What is the salary in IT for graduates?
Mentorpiece is not only the No. 1 course in employment. Thanks to the quality of education, graduates receive salaries above the market average.
We know this because we keep in touch with all our former students and conduct annual surveys among them about their salary levels.
We know this because we keep in touch with all our former students and conduct annual surveys among them about their salary levels.
9. 50+ frequently asked questions
— I am 35 years old. Isn't it too late to learn QA?
— How does an internship differ from a traineeship?
— When should I start looking for a job?
Is this profession suitable for me?
The profession of a tester is not suitable for everyone; it requires a special mindset. However, if we ask you whether the profession of a doctor, accountant or interior designer is suitable for everyone, what would you say?
That is why, before enrolling in the course, all applicants must complete a preliminary vocational guidance course “Should You Become a QA-engineer?”
Only 1 in 5 applicants successfully complete this course.
Is it possible to be trained for a profession in six months?
Yes, you can. You can learn everything you need to know to get a job as a QA, as long as you attend the practical workshops regularly and do all your homework. We will be there to help and guide you.
How much can I earn after graduation?
In the US, the salary for a junior QA starts at $60,000 per year, in the UK — from £35,000 per year, in the EU — from €2,000 per month.
I'm 35 years old. Isn't it too late to learn QA?
35 is the average age of our students.
You can also receive an offer at a more mature age.
I am a teacher (accountant). Won't QA be hard for me to study?
Representatives of the two professions listed above find it easiest to find themselves in QA.
How many students actually find jobs?
Our students find a job more than twice more often than students from most major educational platforms.
The profession of a tester is not suitable for everyone; it requires a special mindset. However, if we ask you whether the profession of a doctor, accountant or interior designer is suitable for everyone, what would you say?
That is why, before enrolling in the course, all applicants must complete a preliminary vocational guidance course “Should You Become a QA-engineer?”
Only 1 in 5 applicants successfully complete this course.
Is it possible to be trained for a profession in six months?
Yes, you can. You can learn everything you need to know to get a job as a QA, as long as you attend the practical workshops regularly and do all your homework. We will be there to help and guide you.
How much can I earn after graduation?
In the US, the salary for a junior QA starts at $60,000 per year, in the UK — from £35,000 per year, in the EU — from €2,000 per month.
I'm 35 years old. Isn't it too late to learn QA?
35 is the average age of our students.
You can also receive an offer at a more mature age.
I am a teacher (accountant). Won't QA be hard for me to study?
Representatives of the two professions listed above find it easiest to find themselves in QA.
How many students actually find jobs?
Our students find a job more than twice more often than students from most major educational platforms.
Who is this course for?
This course is for anyone who is ready to learn a new profession. No prior knowledge of testing is required. No programming skills are necessary. A basic understanding of how programs, networks, operating systems and other technologies work would be helpful, but it is not a necessary prerequisite; we will teach you everything you need to know.
Our groups included accountants, doctors and teachers — and they all successfully found QA jobs.
The main thing is to demonstrate your IT skills in the introductory vocational guidance course and to be interested and motivated to learn.
I have never coded before. Is it OK?
Programming is not required for our course; we teach manual testing and provide related knowledge. You can learn programming later in the automation course (if you wish to do so).
Is it necessary to have a technical education?
No. Moreover, we knew many successful, highly professional testers with degrees in the humanitarian sciences, medicine or the arts, or even without a degree at all. If you are searching for who you are, come to us. Maybe we can help you find yourself without additional higher education?
Why does the course last four months plus an internship? I saw a two-month course, and it's much cheaper.
You can only learn the profession of a QA in two months if you study 40-50 hours a week. This means that classes must be held every day.
Otherwise, the knowledge you gain will not be sufficient to get a job.
Why does the course last four months plus an internship? I saw a year-long course that covers automation and mobile application testing. And I want the highest quality and an outstanding career.
It is ineffective to study an applied specialty such as QA for more than six months. All the knowledge gained must be transformed into practical skills, otherwise it will be forgotten.
If you start learning automation immediately after studying manual testing, you will forget manual testing.
We recommend starting to study mobile application testing and automation after 6-12 months of working as a manual tester. Ultimately, this will be both more effective and cheaper.
What equipment is required?
A computer or a laptop with internet access. A camera would also be useful—it's more pleasant to communicate during practical classes when you can see the other person's face. But if you feel shy, you don't have to turn it on.
How advanced should a computer/laptop be?
Almost any device will do. You can watch lectures and take quizzes even from your phone, using the OS/Android app for LMS. Practical classes are held in a cloud sandbox on a special server.
Do I need to install any paid software to study?
No, everything we use does not require additional payment from students.
I see that the course covers Linux, but I have a Windows laptop
That's not a problem. Linux classes are held in a cloud sandbox on a special server. You can also use a Linux emulator in your browser.
How difficult is this?
If you have an inquisitive mind, love digging into details, used to take apart toys as a child to see what was inside them and are willing to study and do your homework on time, it won't be too difficult, it will be interesting and exciting 🙂
This course is for anyone who is ready to learn a new profession. No prior knowledge of testing is required. No programming skills are necessary. A basic understanding of how programs, networks, operating systems and other technologies work would be helpful, but it is not a necessary prerequisite; we will teach you everything you need to know.
Our groups included accountants, doctors and teachers — and they all successfully found QA jobs.
The main thing is to demonstrate your IT skills in the introductory vocational guidance course and to be interested and motivated to learn.
I have never coded before. Is it OK?
Programming is not required for our course; we teach manual testing and provide related knowledge. You can learn programming later in the automation course (if you wish to do so).
Is it necessary to have a technical education?
No. Moreover, we knew many successful, highly professional testers with degrees in the humanitarian sciences, medicine or the arts, or even without a degree at all. If you are searching for who you are, come to us. Maybe we can help you find yourself without additional higher education?
Why does the course last four months plus an internship? I saw a two-month course, and it's much cheaper.
You can only learn the profession of a QA in two months if you study 40-50 hours a week. This means that classes must be held every day.
Otherwise, the knowledge you gain will not be sufficient to get a job.
Why does the course last four months plus an internship? I saw a year-long course that covers automation and mobile application testing. And I want the highest quality and an outstanding career.
It is ineffective to study an applied specialty such as QA for more than six months. All the knowledge gained must be transformed into practical skills, otherwise it will be forgotten.
If you start learning automation immediately after studying manual testing, you will forget manual testing.
We recommend starting to study mobile application testing and automation after 6-12 months of working as a manual tester. Ultimately, this will be both more effective and cheaper.
What equipment is required?
A computer or a laptop with internet access. A camera would also be useful—it's more pleasant to communicate during practical classes when you can see the other person's face. But if you feel shy, you don't have to turn it on.
How advanced should a computer/laptop be?
Almost any device will do. You can watch lectures and take quizzes even from your phone, using the OS/Android app for LMS. Practical classes are held in a cloud sandbox on a special server.
Do I need to install any paid software to study?
No, everything we use does not require additional payment from students.
I see that the course covers Linux, but I have a Windows laptop
That's not a problem. Linux classes are held in a cloud sandbox on a special server. You can also use a Linux emulator in your browser.
How difficult is this?
If you have an inquisitive mind, love digging into details, used to take apart toys as a child to see what was inside them and are willing to study and do your homework on time, it won't be too difficult, it will be interesting and exciting 🙂
Who is going to teach me?
All your mentors are active professionals at the level of team leaders, department heads and testing managers. They all love teaching and are skilled at it. We do not hire colleagues with less than 10 years of QA experience. We understand that you deserve only the best.
How and when will I study?
Your online classes will take place on weekday evenings.
Will it be possible to balance this with work?
Yes, many of our students continue to work. We even had several doctors who managed to combine their education with shifts at the clinic. That is why we hold classes on weekday evenings.
But it's better to assess your abilities from the outset — if you scored average on the vocational guidance course screening for a QA's mindset (stage 2), then your training may take longer than average.
How does the educational process work?
Interactice textbook: Studying theory
A few days before the practical online workshop, students must read the relevant chapter in the textbook. The chapter contains all the necessary theoretical material on a specific topic, and by studying it students gain new knowledge.
In the practical workshop, this knowledge is reinforced through practical exercises. Without this reinforcement, the knowledge will be quickly forgotten.
The workshop also focuses on developing practical skills.
The basic material for one chapter of the textbook usually includes three subtopics. All of them are necessary for understanding what is happening in class and must be read.
Completing an interactive test (quiz)
No later than 24 hours before the workshop begins, students must complete the test at the end of the textbook chapter.
This is necessary so that the mentor can be sure that every student is ready for the workshop.
Practical online workshop
Practical workshops are organized on Zoom. These are live online classes where students perform practical exercises under the guidance of a mentor. This allows them to assimilate the knowledge previously gained from the textbook and develop practical skills (which are so necessary for employers).
Some practical classes are conducted with the entire group, while others are divided into subgroups of 5-7 participants. For this purpose, Zoom's breakout rooms feature is used. Each subgroup goes to its own virtual breakout room and completes the task assigned by the mentor. The mentor visits each breakout room to provide help and guidance.
During the lesson, you can (and should) actively participate, ask questions and ask for help if you don't fully understand the explanation. Since the groups are small, this does not turn into an unmanageable word flow. Our mentors know how to balance between “answering every question” and “spending the entire lesson answering questions and not learning anything new.”
The link to connect to the practical workshop appears in the relevant LMS activity. You can connect 30 minutes before the start.
The workshop is recorded automatically. It is best not to miss classes, but we understand that things happen. Therefore, you can find the link to the workshop recording in the same LMS activity immediately after it ends.
Homework
After the practical workshop, you proceed to complete your homework assignment (HW) to reinforce the material. The task can be found in advance in the LMS. At the end of the workshop, the mentor will answer questions about the HW and, if necessary, provide feedback on its completion.
Your HW will be checked by the same mentor who led the practical workshop.
How difficult is it?
You may have noticed that this question has been asked before. Well done—you're paying attention to the details. To reiterate: if you're curious, it won't be too difficult and it will be interesting 🙂
How much time do I need to study?
Online workshops are held twice a week for 2.5 hours with a break.
Before the class, you need to complete the relevant chapter in the textbook. This usually takes around 3 hours.
After each class, you need about 4 hours for practical homework (if, of course, you attended the class and listened carefully to the mentor, and even better — asked questions).
The total is around 20 hours per week.
If you keep up the pace, a new life will open up for you. 🙂
Will I be able to communicate with mentors?
Of course!
First, you will be able to ask questions directly during the lesson — by voice, not in the chat. We love additional questions and are happy to answer them.
In addition, we will add you to the course chat in Telegram, where you can ask any questions about the lessons or homework.
You can also always ask your mentor a question directly in a special chat.
What if I can't handle the workload?
First of all, run to your mentors and complain that you can't cope. We will try to figure out together at what point you got stuck and whether we can help. Usually, additional explanations from mentors are enough to catch up with the program. If a force majeure situation has occurred and you can no longer attend classes, be sure to come to us and we will refund you for all unattended classes.
All your mentors are active professionals at the level of team leaders, department heads and testing managers. They all love teaching and are skilled at it. We do not hire colleagues with less than 10 years of QA experience. We understand that you deserve only the best.
How and when will I study?
Your online classes will take place on weekday evenings.
Will it be possible to balance this with work?
Yes, many of our students continue to work. We even had several doctors who managed to combine their education with shifts at the clinic. That is why we hold classes on weekday evenings.
But it's better to assess your abilities from the outset — if you scored average on the vocational guidance course screening for a QA's mindset (stage 2), then your training may take longer than average.
How does the educational process work?
Interactice textbook: Studying theory
A few days before the practical online workshop, students must read the relevant chapter in the textbook. The chapter contains all the necessary theoretical material on a specific topic, and by studying it students gain new knowledge.
In the practical workshop, this knowledge is reinforced through practical exercises. Without this reinforcement, the knowledge will be quickly forgotten.
The workshop also focuses on developing practical skills.
The basic material for one chapter of the textbook usually includes three subtopics. All of them are necessary for understanding what is happening in class and must be read.
Completing an interactive test (quiz)
No later than 24 hours before the workshop begins, students must complete the test at the end of the textbook chapter.
This is necessary so that the mentor can be sure that every student is ready for the workshop.
Practical online workshop
Practical workshops are organized on Zoom. These are live online classes where students perform practical exercises under the guidance of a mentor. This allows them to assimilate the knowledge previously gained from the textbook and develop practical skills (which are so necessary for employers).
Some practical classes are conducted with the entire group, while others are divided into subgroups of 5-7 participants. For this purpose, Zoom's breakout rooms feature is used. Each subgroup goes to its own virtual breakout room and completes the task assigned by the mentor. The mentor visits each breakout room to provide help and guidance.
During the lesson, you can (and should) actively participate, ask questions and ask for help if you don't fully understand the explanation. Since the groups are small, this does not turn into an unmanageable word flow. Our mentors know how to balance between “answering every question” and “spending the entire lesson answering questions and not learning anything new.”
The link to connect to the practical workshop appears in the relevant LMS activity. You can connect 30 minutes before the start.
The workshop is recorded automatically. It is best not to miss classes, but we understand that things happen. Therefore, you can find the link to the workshop recording in the same LMS activity immediately after it ends.
Homework
After the practical workshop, you proceed to complete your homework assignment (HW) to reinforce the material. The task can be found in advance in the LMS. At the end of the workshop, the mentor will answer questions about the HW and, if necessary, provide feedback on its completion.
Your HW will be checked by the same mentor who led the practical workshop.
How difficult is it?
You may have noticed that this question has been asked before. Well done—you're paying attention to the details. To reiterate: if you're curious, it won't be too difficult and it will be interesting 🙂
How much time do I need to study?
Online workshops are held twice a week for 2.5 hours with a break.
Before the class, you need to complete the relevant chapter in the textbook. This usually takes around 3 hours.
After each class, you need about 4 hours for practical homework (if, of course, you attended the class and listened carefully to the mentor, and even better — asked questions).
The total is around 20 hours per week.
If you keep up the pace, a new life will open up for you. 🙂
Will I be able to communicate with mentors?
Of course!
First, you will be able to ask questions directly during the lesson — by voice, not in the chat. We love additional questions and are happy to answer them.
In addition, we will add you to the course chat in Telegram, where you can ask any questions about the lessons or homework.
You can also always ask your mentor a question directly in a special chat.
What if I can't handle the workload?
First of all, run to your mentors and complain that you can't cope. We will try to figure out together at what point you got stuck and whether we can help. Usually, additional explanations from mentors are enough to catch up with the program. If a force majeure situation has occurred and you can no longer attend classes, be sure to come to us and we will refund you for all unattended classes.
What is an internship?
This is your real job. You are still an intern, but your tasks are already quite real. You will participate in Agile software development, analyze requirements, communicate with the team, test, write bugs — in short, work. For the first month, your lead will be your mentor, and then you can become one yourself — helping your colleagues and checking their work. Your mentor will still be there, of course, but you will be able to take on responsibility — and later mention it on your resume.
How does an internship differ from a traineeship?
Duration and depth.
An traineeship involves performing simple tasks that regular employees do not want to do.
An internship is a full-fledged job as a QA engineer.
Do I need to relocate somewhere to complete my internship?
Do I need to relocate somewhere to complete my internship?
No. We always organize remote internships for our students.
How is the 4-month internship going?
There are two options for completing a 4-month internship:
• "2 months during studies + 2 months after studies"
• "4 months after studies"
Students choose one of two options. The main difference between them is that in the “post-educational” option, there is a mentor who supervises the internship. In other words, the “parallel education” option requires greater independence and initiative.
How does the "2 months during studies + 2 months after studies" work?
This option only makes sense if you are not currently working and have time after your studies.
This option has one advantage: the knowledge you gain during your studies can be immediately applied to a real business project, which improves your ability to retain it. This allows you to develop practical skills more quickly.
If I choose "2 months during studies + 2 months after studies" option, when does the “parallel education” part begin?
From the third month of training. By this point, you will have the minimum knowledge and practical skills necessary to be useful on the project.
"2 months during studies + 2 months after studies" — are these parts held in the same company or in different ones?
Different ones mainly.
How does the "4 months after studies" internship work?
Just like a regular QA's job. Once a day, there's a stand-up meeting where the team discusses the plan for the day, asks questions and reports any problems that have arisen. Then it's time for the actual work: communication, clarifying details, analyzing documentation, developing test cases etc.
What is the workload for an internship with the "4 months after studies" option?
You determine your own workload, but the more time you devote to your work, the faster you will learn and the more effective your internship will be. It is best if your workload is 25 working hours per week.
But I'm still working at my old job and can't devote that much time to my internship
Yes, we understand that you may be working, as many of our students do.
What is required to receive a minimum passing grade for the internship? The internship grade is calculated as the arithmetic mean of the quality of work grade and the involvement grade. To get the minimum passing grade of 60 points, you need to get a quality of work grade of 90-100 and an involvement grade of 30-49 — this requires spending at least 12 hours a week on the internship.
Therefore, if you work efficiently and can find at least 1 hour during the workday and 3 hours on the weekend, you will have no problems.
Is an internship mandatory?
Every student is offered the opportunity to complete an internship.
Students may decline the internship, but there are two important points to consider:
1. If you decline the internship, you will lose two things:
• We will not be able to give you a certificate of completion.
• We will not be able to help you with individual employment mentorship, as it is more difficult to find a job with a resume that has no experience.
2. On the other hand, we strongly recommend that students start looking for a job well before the start of their internship. It takes more than a week to perfect your resume and cover letter and learn how to complete test assignments correctly. The sooner you start, the better.
At the same time, employers rarely look at course certificates, and if a job search does not go smoothly, an internship will be an excellent opportunity to gain experience.
Our experience shows that in almost every group, students with good academic performance find a job even before the start of their internship.
If I don't complete the internship and don't receive a certificate, will I still be considered a Mentorpiece alumnus?
If, during the estimated period of employment for the study group, you do not enroll in any other courses and you find a job, you will be considered a Mentorpiece alumnus with all the associated privileges.
Why is the internship provided free of charge?
We are interested in providing the highest quality course possible, not in dragging it out. That is why some students in each group find a job even before the internship begins. The rest are given the opportunity to perfect their skills and knowledge during the internship free of charge — we bring in the most experienced internship leader, either at our own expense or at the expense of the client.
This is your real job. You are still an intern, but your tasks are already quite real. You will participate in Agile software development, analyze requirements, communicate with the team, test, write bugs — in short, work. For the first month, your lead will be your mentor, and then you can become one yourself — helping your colleagues and checking their work. Your mentor will still be there, of course, but you will be able to take on responsibility — and later mention it on your resume.
How does an internship differ from a traineeship?
Duration and depth.
An traineeship involves performing simple tasks that regular employees do not want to do.
An internship is a full-fledged job as a QA engineer.
Do I need to relocate somewhere to complete my internship?
Do I need to relocate somewhere to complete my internship?
No. We always organize remote internships for our students.
How is the 4-month internship going?
There are two options for completing a 4-month internship:
• "2 months during studies + 2 months after studies"
• "4 months after studies"
Students choose one of two options. The main difference between them is that in the “post-educational” option, there is a mentor who supervises the internship. In other words, the “parallel education” option requires greater independence and initiative.
How does the "2 months during studies + 2 months after studies" work?
This option only makes sense if you are not currently working and have time after your studies.
This option has one advantage: the knowledge you gain during your studies can be immediately applied to a real business project, which improves your ability to retain it. This allows you to develop practical skills more quickly.
If I choose "2 months during studies + 2 months after studies" option, when does the “parallel education” part begin?
From the third month of training. By this point, you will have the minimum knowledge and practical skills necessary to be useful on the project.
"2 months during studies + 2 months after studies" — are these parts held in the same company or in different ones?
Different ones mainly.
How does the "4 months after studies" internship work?
Just like a regular QA's job. Once a day, there's a stand-up meeting where the team discusses the plan for the day, asks questions and reports any problems that have arisen. Then it's time for the actual work: communication, clarifying details, analyzing documentation, developing test cases etc.
What is the workload for an internship with the "4 months after studies" option?
You determine your own workload, but the more time you devote to your work, the faster you will learn and the more effective your internship will be. It is best if your workload is 25 working hours per week.
But I'm still working at my old job and can't devote that much time to my internship
Yes, we understand that you may be working, as many of our students do.
What is required to receive a minimum passing grade for the internship? The internship grade is calculated as the arithmetic mean of the quality of work grade and the involvement grade. To get the minimum passing grade of 60 points, you need to get a quality of work grade of 90-100 and an involvement grade of 30-49 — this requires spending at least 12 hours a week on the internship.
Therefore, if you work efficiently and can find at least 1 hour during the workday and 3 hours on the weekend, you will have no problems.
Is an internship mandatory?
Every student is offered the opportunity to complete an internship.
Students may decline the internship, but there are two important points to consider:
1. If you decline the internship, you will lose two things:
• We will not be able to give you a certificate of completion.
• We will not be able to help you with individual employment mentorship, as it is more difficult to find a job with a resume that has no experience.
2. On the other hand, we strongly recommend that students start looking for a job well before the start of their internship. It takes more than a week to perfect your resume and cover letter and learn how to complete test assignments correctly. The sooner you start, the better.
At the same time, employers rarely look at course certificates, and if a job search does not go smoothly, an internship will be an excellent opportunity to gain experience.
Our experience shows that in almost every group, students with good academic performance find a job even before the start of their internship.
If I don't complete the internship and don't receive a certificate, will I still be considered a Mentorpiece alumnus?
If, during the estimated period of employment for the study group, you do not enroll in any other courses and you find a job, you will be considered a Mentorpiece alumnus with all the associated privileges.
Why is the internship provided free of charge?
We are interested in providing the highest quality course possible, not in dragging it out. That is why some students in each group find a job even before the internship begins. The rest are given the opportunity to perfect their skills and knowledge during the internship free of charge — we bring in the most experienced internship leader, either at our own expense or at the expense of the client.
Who am I going to be after completing the course?
After completing the course, you will be a pre-middle QA engineer. The title of the “grade” depends, in fact, on the company you 're going to work for. Middle in one company may be called Junior in another — although, in fact, the tasks will be of approximately the same level of complexity.
What kind of certificate do you provide?
We give out a certificate of completion for the course “Manual Testing from Scratch + AI Application Testing + 4-Months long Internship” signed by the school director.
Will I be able to find a job after completing my education?
Most of our graduates find a job within 2-4 months after completing their studies.
We had a funny case when one of our students failed our final individual exam-interview the first time (and went to retake it a week later), but found a real job during that week. But he still came to retake the exam 🙂
Is it possible to start looking for a job immediately after completing the course?
As practice shows, the longer graduates delay finding a job, the more they forget and the more their confidence in their abilities drops.
When should I start looking for a job?
From the very first day of learning. That is why the first two classes are focused on how to study properly and how to prepare for employment and how to find your first QA job, and QA training begins in the third class.
Do you help with preparing resumes and cover letters?
Yes.
What is individual employment mentorship?
The job market is competitive. Not everyone who wants a job will find one, even if they are qualified. Those who are both qualified and proactive will find a position. We can provide knowledge and practice, but we cannot instill proactivity.
Based on this, each graduate must make a certain number of responses each week. They can discuss challenging job openings, test assignments, etc. with their mentor.
How long does individual employment mentorship last?
Until you find a job (provided you meet the required number of responses per week).
After completing the course, you will be a pre-middle QA engineer. The title of the “grade” depends, in fact, on the company you 're going to work for. Middle in one company may be called Junior in another — although, in fact, the tasks will be of approximately the same level of complexity.
What kind of certificate do you provide?
We give out a certificate of completion for the course “Manual Testing from Scratch + AI Application Testing + 4-Months long Internship” signed by the school director.
Will I be able to find a job after completing my education?
Most of our graduates find a job within 2-4 months after completing their studies.
We had a funny case when one of our students failed our final individual exam-interview the first time (and went to retake it a week later), but found a real job during that week. But he still came to retake the exam 🙂
Is it possible to start looking for a job immediately after completing the course?
As practice shows, the longer graduates delay finding a job, the more they forget and the more their confidence in their abilities drops.
When should I start looking for a job?
From the very first day of learning. That is why the first two classes are focused on how to study properly and how to prepare for employment and how to find your first QA job, and QA training begins in the third class.
Do you help with preparing resumes and cover letters?
Yes.
What is individual employment mentorship?
The job market is competitive. Not everyone who wants a job will find one, even if they are qualified. Those who are both qualified and proactive will find a position. We can provide knowledge and practice, but we cannot instill proactivity.
Based on this, each graduate must make a certain number of responses each week. They can discuss challenging job openings, test assignments, etc. with their mentor.
How long does individual employment mentorship last?
Until you find a job (provided you meet the required number of responses per week).
If I don't like it, can I get my money back?
Yes. We offer refunds without any fraud—you don't even need to write a formal request.
And there's no long wait—a maximum of 30 calendar days, but usually much faster.
Please note that we refund money for all unattended classes and that the internship is not included in the course price and is provided free of charge.
What are the payment options?
In dollars or euros to an international bank
✓ By bank transfer
✓ By debit or credit card online
✓ Other payment methods
This is an installment plan provided directly by Mentorpiece.
No documents are required to apply for it.
We are willing to provide the installment plan ourselves because we are confident that you will complete your studies and therefore we do not need to receive all the money from the bank at once, as is the case with bank installment plans.
What are the terms of payment by bank card?
Some official information:
Payment is made through the authorization server of the Bank's Processing Center using bank cards of the following payment systems:
— MIR
Yes. We offer refunds without any fraud—you don't even need to write a formal request.
And there's no long wait—a maximum of 30 calendar days, but usually much faster.
Please note that we refund money for all unattended classes and that the internship is not included in the course price and is provided free of charge.
More details about the return policy are specified in the Public Offer.
What are the payment options?
In dollars or euros to an international bank
✓ By bank transfer
✓ By debit or credit card online
✓ Other payment methods
If you have any questions, please let us know.
What is an installment plan "No obligation"?
This is an installment plan provided directly by Mentorpiece.
No documents are required to apply for it.
We are willing to provide the installment plan ourselves because we are confident that you will complete your studies and therefore we do not need to receive all the money from the bank at once, as is the case with bank installment plans.
The advantage of this installment plan for you is that if you suddenly change your mind about studying, you will have no obligations to us or to any bank. You simply do not pay for the next month of study. If you have paid proportionally more than the number of days that have passed since the start of the course, we will refund the difference.
What are the terms of payment by bank card?
Some official information:
Payment is made through the authorization server of the Bank's Processing Center using bank cards of the following payment systems:
— MIR
To make a payment, you will need to provide your plastic card details. This information is transmitted in compliance with all necessary security measures. The data will only be sent to the Bank's authorization server via a secure channel (TLS protocol). The information is transmitted in encrypted form and is stored only on a specialized server of the payment system. The website and store do not know or keep your plastic card details. When making a payment via the link, the system will redirect you to the authorization server page, where you will be asked to enter your card details and initiate its authorization. If the card authorization is declined, you can repeat the payment procedure using the same link.
The return policy is specified in the Offer.
When do I need to pay?
Within 7 days after successfully completing the vocational guidance course "Should You Become a QA-engineer?".
Entrance testing = your
confidence!
We do not charge students for tuition until both they and we are 100% sure that their IT career will start successfully. After all, just as not everyone can become a doctor, not everyone can become a QA engineer. By the way, this is reason 3️⃣ why many course graduates are unemployed — they were initially promised that QA is suitable for everyone.
International universities have entrance exams. Mentorpiece has a mandatory IT abilities entrance test in the form of a free vocational guidance course called “Should You Become a QA-engineer?” Only 10% of applicants pass it successfully and get the opportunity to enroll in the program.
International universities have entrance exams. Mentorpiece has a mandatory IT abilities entrance test in the form of a free vocational guidance course called “Should You Become a QA-engineer?” Only 10% of applicants pass it successfully and get the opportunity to enroll in the program.
1. Get a code to enroll in a free IT vocational guidance course and ask any questions you may have.
2. Take the vocational guidance course “Should You Become a QA-engineer?” completely free of charge.
3. Pay for QA education only if, after an individual interview with the chief mentor, you hear: «Yes, QA is right for you».
2. Take the vocational guidance course “Should You Become a QA-engineer?” completely free of charge.
3. Pay for QA education only if, after an individual interview with the chief mentor, you hear: «Yes, QA is right for you».
Get a code from the bot to enroll
in a free vocational guidance course:
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