IT Vocational Guidance
Free vocational guidance course in IT, unique in terms of accuracy and amount of feedback
«Should You Become a QA-engineer?»
from experts with international IT experience |
«Should You Become a QA-engineer?»
from experts with international IT experience |
- Is QA really what I want?
- Will I be able to graduate, find a job in IT and be able to handle it?
- Will I enjoy working as a QA? Will I earn good money? Maybe I should go into analytics or product management instead?
Do you ask yourself these questions?
If yes, you're right to do so! Because only up to 30% of students on an average IT course end up getting a job in IT.
Never fall for promises like “anyone can work in IT” and “learning to test is easy.”
Never fall for promises like “anyone can work in IT” and “learning to test is easy.”
On the landing pages of many IT courses, you can see that “over 90% of students find jobs in IT!”
Unfortunately, these statements are always far from the truth.
Unfortunately, these statements are always far from the truth.
Where are the stats from?
Let's take a look at the actual employment statistics.
To do this, we need to look deeper than just the landing pages.
Most testing courses do not publish detailed employment statistics. They only report that “we employ a certain number of students.” It is impossible to check this information.
But some data can still be found:
To do this, we need to look deeper than just the landing pages.
Most testing courses do not publish detailed employment statistics. They only report that “we employ a certain number of students.” It is impossible to check this information.
But some data can still be found:
Research by Business Insider on employment after IT bootcamps
According to the research, the employment rate among IT bootcamps students is around 30%.
According to the research, the employment rate among IT bootcamps students is around 30%.
Unconfirmed information from other schools
QA Studio reports that 74% of all enrolled students graduate.
Of these 74% who graduate, 38% find a job.
Thus, it is claimed that 74%*38%=28% of all enrolled students find a job in IT.
QA Studio reports that 74% of all enrolled students graduate.
Of these 74% who graduate, 38% find a job.
Thus, it is claimed that 74%*38%=28% of all enrolled students find a job in IT.
If we take one study group of 100 students, more than 80 of them will waste their money on education.
Why are so few people
getting jobs?
- Even after completing university education, only 36% of all initial entrants find employmentIf you have a college degree, it is unlikely that more than half of your classmates are now working in their field. Many of them worked hard to get into a budget-funded program or paid thousands of dollars for five years of education.
If we look at the American education market, 62.2% of students graduate.
Of those who graduate, 57.2% find full-time jobs.
This means that, on average, 62.2%*57.2% = 36% of all students who enroll end up with full-time jobs.
Can an average online course show better results? Hardly. - The profession of a QA engineer is not suitable for everyoneJust as not everyone can become a doctor, chemist, ballerina or airplane pilot. But the courses promise that “QA is easy” and anyone who pays can become a tester.
The absence of entrance exams in online courses creates a misleading impression that IT specialties are easy to learn. - Ineffective educationIT employers don't need “spectators”; they need skilled workers. But most online courses consist of lectures. After completing them you may gain knowledge, but not the practical skills that employers need.
That's why it's so difficult to find a job after online lectures and webinars, where you just sit passively and listen.
Where does the statistics “more than 90% find a job in IT” come from then?
This is either just advertising or tricky calculations of statistics by courses. The most common technique is when the percentage of employed graduates is calculated not from the total number of students who initially enrolled in the course, but only from the number of graduates..
This is either just advertising or tricky calculations of statistics by courses. The most common technique is when the percentage of employed graduates is calculated not from the total number of students who initially enrolled in the course, but only from the number of graduates..
What do you need to avoid making mistakes and wasting time:
- Understanding how your strengths/weaknesses and previous life experiences will affect your progress along the difficult path of “months of training and months of job hunting,” specifically in terms of QA (so that you don't drop out before the end of the program).
- Possession of QA skills, including a “QA's mindset,” and a suitable psychological profile (to find a job and cope with it)
- Expectations of the profession and motivation must match the actual job experience (in order to enjoy the profession rather than be disappointed).
What is "QA’s mindset"?
1. Analytical approach: the ability to analyze, find patterns and identify cause-and-effect relationships.
2. System thinking: the ability to see the “big picture” and understand how changes in one part of a system can affect other parts of it.
But also:
3. Attention to detail: thoroughness in finding errors and inconsistencies in software.
4. Patience and persistence: willingness to engage in monotonous tasks and perseverance in finding solutions to complex problems.
But also:
5. Creative thinking: the ability to think outside the box and anticipate unusual usage scenarios that could lead to failures.
6. Communication skills: ability to communicate clearly and effectively with team members, including developers and project managers.
Finally:
7. Focus on quality: striving to achieve the best possible product quality and understanding its importance.
As you can see, some qualities contradict each other and are not found in every person.
2. System thinking: the ability to see the “big picture” and understand how changes in one part of a system can affect other parts of it.
But also:
3. Attention to detail: thoroughness in finding errors and inconsistencies in software.
4. Patience and persistence: willingness to engage in monotonous tasks and perseverance in finding solutions to complex problems.
But also:
5. Creative thinking: the ability to think outside the box and anticipate unusual usage scenarios that could lead to failures.
6. Communication skills: ability to communicate clearly and effectively with team members, including developers and project managers.
Finally:
7. Focus on quality: striving to achieve the best possible product quality and understanding its importance.
As you can see, some qualities contradict each other and are not found in every person.
Just as not everyone can become a doctor, not everyone can become a QA engineer
So before you pay for your education, study for six months and spend several months looking for a job, make sure that this IT profession is really right for you.
There are three ways to find out which IT profession might suit you.
One of them is risky (although popular).
Another way, an IT career test, will always give an answer that benefits its creators, not you.
The third way will help you find the answer to the question “is the profession of a QA right for me,” but it will take more than 15 minutes.
There are three ways to find out which IT profession might suit you.
One of them is risky (although popular).
Another way, an IT career test, will always give an answer that benefits its creators, not you.
The third way will help you find the answer to the question “is the profession of a QA right for me,” but it will take more than 15 minutes.
Many people use this option of “we'll see what happens.” The above employment statistics show that more than half of them end up wasting time and money. They either don't finish their studies or their job search ends unsuccessfully.
The decision to change careers based on advertising or the advice of friends is very rarely the right one. This is because the profession of a QA, like any other, is not suitable for everyone (no matter what the creators of the courses say).
The decision to change careers based on advertising or the advice of friends is very rarely the right one. This is because the profession of a QA, like any other, is not suitable for everyone (no matter what the creators of the courses say).
It would be logical to spend an hour taking a few tests to find out which IT profession suits you best, so that you can understand everything right away, wouldn't it?
Classic vocational guidance tests
For example, the Holland Code (RIASEC) Test (it's free, no registration required) determines personality type based on 6 career orientations:
Specific IT vocational guidance tests
Classic vocational guidance tests
For example, the Holland Code (RIASEC) Test (it's free, no registration required) determines personality type based on 6 career orientations:
- Realistic — practical activities, technical skills, hands-on work
- Investigative — analysis, research, science
- Artistic — creativity, art
- Social — helping people, education, communication
- Enterprising — business, management, leadership
- Conventional — working with data, documents, and structures
Specific IT vocational guidance tests
- Test from Epam, a large custom software manufacturer (it's free, no registration required)
- Test from Teal (it's free; a registration is required)
Online career guidance tests are imperfect
We took all these tests and did not find one that we could use in our work and recommend to applicants among them.
Classical career guidance tests are too general and can only indicate IT in general, but not a specific specialty.
Specific tests from IT-companies offered us, specialists with successful 10-20 years experience in QA, to firstly consider becoming a front-end developer or a DevOps. And only then - a QA-engineer.
Why does this happen?
Classical career guidance tests are too general and can only indicate IT in general, but not a specific specialty.
Specific tests from IT-companies offered us, specialists with successful 10-20 years experience in QA, to firstly consider becoming a front-end developer or a DevOps. And only then - a QA-engineer.
Why does this happen?
QA engineer is a specific specialty and it stands a bit apart from other IT professions
The QA profession involves both active work with programs, with documentation and with other people. You need to be a system thinker and a detail-oriented person at the same time. It requires both creative thinking and a willingness to deal with monotonous tasks.
This profession requires both creative thinking and a willingness to deal with monotonous tasks.
This type of mix confuses the vocational guidance test, and it shows incorrect results.
This profession requires both creative thinking and a willingness to deal with monotonous tasks.
This type of mix confuses the vocational guidance test, and it shows incorrect results.
Most of the tests focus on career guidance for high school students, not adult people
What distinguishes an adult from a school pupil? Life and professional experience - which often comes in handy for a QA-engineer job.
Unfortunately, no computerized test will take a particular person's individual history into account. The same can be said about strengths and weaknesses. When taking tests, we often give socially anticipated answers and talk about the strengths we wish we had, but don't actually have. But if a specialist carefully analyzes your work experience, your real strong points will be revealed.
Unfortunately, no computerized test will take a particular person's individual history into account. The same can be said about strengths and weaknesses. When taking tests, we often give socially anticipated answers and talk about the strengths we wish we had, but don't actually have. But if a specialist carefully analyzes your work experience, your real strong points will be revealed.
No test will help you to find out whether you have the aptitude for being a QA-engineer alongside with the desire to become one
This requires working on specialized QA challenges, which are absent in classic career guidance tests due to their ambiguity. Specialized IT career guidance tests do not analyze this either.
Solving QA tasks that are close to those on a real job project are not tests with choosing the right answer, but tasks that require you to think and come up with several possible solutions.
Solving QA tasks that are close to those on a real job project are not tests with choosing the right answer, but tasks that require you to think and come up with several possible solutions.
... and some benefit their creators rather than you
❌ Try taking any average vocational guidance test (for example, test from Teal), selecting the top answer option only in any question.
Whatever you choose, at the end of the test, you will always be recommended some IT profession (which, of course, is available to learn on this platform).
Whatever you choose, at the end of the test, you will always be recommended some IT profession (which, of course, is available to learn on this platform).
The vocational guidance course is not as superficial as online tests and corrects their shortcomings.
- "Is QA something I really want to do?"❌ Average tests will always recommend you several IT professions.
✅ "Should You Become a QA-engineer?" honestly assumes that IT is not suitable for everyone—only 10% of graduates receive a recommendation to work in QA or another IT profession. - "Will I be able to graduate, find a job and manage it?"❌ Regular tests help you understand what you want.
But they are useless in determining whether you will be able to learn and cope with your future job.
✅ "Should You Become a QA-engineer?" helps you figure out if you have a QA's mindset.
This will be accomplished through homework assignments, personally reviewed by mentors with 10+ years of experience, and screening for a QA's mindset, conducted in the form of a team workshop. - "Will I enjoy working as a QA and will I earn enough money and find satisfaction in my work?"❌ Standard tests do not analyze your specific previous professional experience.
But you have already worked somewhere and know what kind of work you enjoy and what makes you feel depressed.
At the same time, your motivation, strengths and ideas about the profession directly affect whether you will be able to earn good money.
✅ In "Should You Become a QA-engineer?", during individual vocational guidance a mentor with over 20 years of experience in testing will analyze your previous “non-IT experience” based on your resume and current specialty (for example, lawyers, logisticians and teachers usually find it easy to transition into QA). They will also help you understand whether you are making the right decision.
Ultimately, you will find out whether your expectations of the profession are realistic and whether working as a QA will bring you pleasure and prosperity.
This is because the vast majority of commercial QA schools recruit students for the course “with a spare.” Initially, they assume that those students who are not suitable for the QA profession will automatically “drop out” during the course. This happens to half of all applicants.
- How most QA schools operate (commercial approach)To maximize profits, many schools enroll 50, 100 or even 200+ students in a single study group.
But one teacher can only effectively work with a maximum of 20 students. Therefore, in such courses the teacher only gives lectures, while other people answer questions and check homework assignments. Sometimes even those who may never have worked as QA engineers at all.
The lack of direct contact with the teacher dramatically affects the quality of education — up to half of the students do not complete the course.
Knowing that many will not finish, the school initially enrolls as many students as possible. - How things are done with a professional approach to QA educationWith professional QA education, the same mentor conducts online classes, checks homework assignments and provides individual feedback to each student in a group of up to 15 students. This allows for the unique characteristics of each student to be taken into account.
This provides high-quality education that is close to real-life training on an IT project, where the project leads teach the juniors and middles who work with them.
Since the number of places in the group is strictly limited, the school cannot recruit students with spare capacity. At the same time, the work of an experienced mentor is expensive. And if some students change their minds about studying because they realize that “QA is not for them,” the school ends up at a loss.
At Mentorpiece, we decided to introduce introductory vocational guidance when only 5 out of 11 students in the 2022.4 study group made it to the end of the course. In other words, 55% of the students dropped out.
As a result, an introductory vocational guidance course was introduced in 2022. A year of using it has shown remarkable results — now more than 90% of students complete their studies.
Honest and precise
Many large educational platforms offer IT career tests, where they will always recommend several IT professions “just for you.”
In this vocational guidance course, you will not get the answer you want to hear or the one that is beneficial to us. Only about 10% of students complete this IT vocational guidance with a recommendation from the chief mentor to start an IT career.
In this vocational guidance course, you will not get the answer you want to hear or the one that is beneficial to us. Only about 10% of students complete this IT vocational guidance with a recommendation from the chief mentor to start an IT career.
Lilia Urmazova
QA-engineer since 2001, QA-mentor — since 2004.
• Worked in Star Software, Exigen Services, Grid Dynamics, on numerous international IT projects on roles such as manual QA engineer, automated QA engineer, QA lead, AI QA lead, QA manager.
• QA lead-mentor of internships in base86 🇺🇸, Jobsolv 🇺🇸, SMTP 🇨🇦
• Taught at the training center Luxoft, participated in the creation of a corporate training center Grid Dynamics.
• Higher education:
- Peter the Great St.Petersburg Polytechnic University (software development)
- Saint Petersburg State University (applied linguistics, Natural Language Processing)
Learn more.
• Worked in Star Software, Exigen Services, Grid Dynamics, on numerous international IT projects on roles such as manual QA engineer, automated QA engineer, QA lead, AI QA lead, QA manager.
• QA lead-mentor of internships in base86 🇺🇸, Jobsolv 🇺🇸, SMTP 🇨🇦
• Taught at the training center Luxoft, participated in the creation of a corporate training center Grid Dynamics.
• Higher education:
- Peter the Great St.Petersburg Polytechnic University (software development)
- Saint Petersburg State University (applied linguistics, Natural Language Processing)
Learn more.
Every year, Lilia tracks the progress of around 300 applicants, students and graduates of the testing course.
What is extremely important for a high-quality result is that the fate of each person who has successfully completed vocational guidance course is tracked. This is partly because enrollment in a professional QA course is only possible if vocational guidance is positive. Such feedback allows for improved accuracy.
What is extremely important for a high-quality result is that the fate of each person who has successfully completed vocational guidance course is tracked. This is partly because enrollment in a professional QA course is only possible if vocational guidance is positive. Such feedback allows for improved accuracy.
Lilia also leads a unique QA course:
Seeing the high demand for career guidance on the professional QA course, we decided to also offer this opportunity to those who do not plan to pursue professional QA education.
Unique in terms of feedback volume
The vocational guidance course can be completed in just 12 hours, but it is very intensive:
✓ Homework assignments on understanding the profession with live, detailed feedback.
✓ Solving IT problems on a team Zoom call, just like on a real IT project.
✓ Individual vocational guidance interview on IT prospects with a lead mentor with 20+ years of QA experience.
As a result, you will receive detailed recommendations on the IT specialty that is right for you (or a recommendation not to focus on an IT career for the moment).
✓ Homework assignments on understanding the profession with live, detailed feedback.
✓ Solving IT problems on a team Zoom call, just like on a real IT project.
✓ Individual vocational guidance interview on IT prospects with a lead mentor with 20+ years of QA experience.
As a result, you will receive detailed recommendations on the IT specialty that is right for you (or a recommendation not to focus on an IT career for the moment).
Step #1 — Let's answer the question: “Is QA something you really want to do?”
Find out how interested you are in QA and how easily you can comprehend technical knowledge.
Start with three training modules from the interactive textbook on the QA profession.
This is followed by three training modules devoted to technical knowledge.
As a result, you will complete six online tests and three homework assignments.
For each completed assignment, you will receive detailed feedback.
How many people proceed further: approximately 50% of applicants.
If you pass all the online tests and score at least 200 points for your homework assignments (the maximum score for one homework assignment is 100 points), you will be able to participate in the screening for a QA's mindset.
Start with three training modules from the interactive textbook on the QA profession.
This is followed by three training modules devoted to technical knowledge.
As a result, you will complete six online tests and three homework assignments.
For each completed assignment, you will receive detailed feedback.
How many people proceed further: approximately 50% of applicants.
If you pass all the online tests and score at least 200 points for your homework assignments (the maximum score for one homework assignment is 100 points), you will be able to participate in the screening for a QA's mindset.
IMPORTANT
All of the course information is given as text, not as videos.
After all, having a career in IT, especially working as a QA, involves a lot of work with technical information in text form - requirements, specifications, technical correspondence.
Working as a QA, you will watch technical videos very rarely.
After all, having a career in IT, especially working as a QA, involves a lot of work with technical information in text form - requirements, specifications, technical correspondence.
Working as a QA, you will watch technical videos very rarely.
Step #2. Seeking an answer to the question: “Will I be able to graduate, find a QA job and cope with it?”
Find out if you have the specific aptitude to study and work as a QA engineer. Engage in QA-mindset screening, which is held as a team workshop.
This is the most favorite stage of many students. You will solve IT problems together with other students, just like on a real work project!
Specific QA knowledge is not required to pass. The mentor is more interested in your ability to analyze and think logically rather than the correct answer. For example, if you were unable to give the correct answer, but showed that you were thinking structurally, this will be credited.
How many people proceed further: approximately 80% of those who passed the previous stage.
Did you score 200+ points on three screening tasks? (The maximum score for one task is 100 points). Be 100% sure that your money and time spent on education will not be wasted and that your IT career will really start — take part in an individual interview with an experienced QA mentor.
This is the most favorite stage of many students. You will solve IT problems together with other students, just like on a real work project!
Specific QA knowledge is not required to pass. The mentor is more interested in your ability to analyze and think logically rather than the correct answer. For example, if you were unable to give the correct answer, but showed that you were thinking structurally, this will be credited.
How many people proceed further: approximately 80% of those who passed the previous stage.
Did you score 200+ points on three screening tasks? (The maximum score for one task is 100 points). Be 100% sure that your money and time spent on education will not be wasted and that your IT career will really start — take part in an individual interview with an experienced QA mentor.
Step #3. Seeking an answer to the question, “Will I enjoy QA job and is it going to bring me good money? Maybe I should go into analytics or product management instead?"
Step #3: Individual career guidance from a QA mentor with 20+ years of experience in QA
Be 100% sure that your money and time spent on education will not be wasted and that your IT career will truly take off.
Find out:
• To what extent do your motivation, strengths, goals and ideas about the profession align with reality?
• Will working as a QA fulfill your interests?
• Will the job of a QA engineer bring you a good income? Or will you be more successful in some other IT profession?
In half an hour, I will ask you my questions and answer any questions you may have.
My task is to use the results of the previous stages and interviews to understand whether your strengths, goals and ideas about QA match reality or not.
To participate in individual vocational guidance, we will need your resume to review your previous non-IT experience.
How many people proceed further: approximately 60% of those who passed the previous stage.
Find out:
• To what extent do your motivation, strengths, goals and ideas about the profession align with reality?
• Will working as a QA fulfill your interests?
• Will the job of a QA engineer bring you a good income? Or will you be more successful in some other IT profession?
In half an hour, I will ask you my questions and answer any questions you may have.
My task is to use the results of the previous stages and interviews to understand whether your strengths, goals and ideas about QA match reality or not.
To participate in individual vocational guidance, we will need your resume to review your previous non-IT experience.
How many people proceed further: approximately 60% of those who passed the previous stage.
And finally:
Doubts cast aside!
Recommendation received from the chief QA mentor.
Possible feedback options:
• "QA is recommended - you can start studying"
• "QA is ok (but you could also try yourself in web-development)"
• "Web-development is recommended"
• "Another IT-job is recommended (product/analyst/manager/other)"
• "There is a doubt: you need to do an extra task"
• "It is recommended not to concentrate on an IT-career right now"
You will receive a detailed assessment of your hard and soft skills and whether they are sufficient for working in QA. You will also learn what challenges you may face during your education and future career.
If QA isn't right for you but you have potential in IT, I will suggest a more suitable IT specialty.
Possible feedback options:
• "QA is recommended - you can start studying"
• "QA is ok (but you could also try yourself in web-development)"
• "Web-development is recommended"
• "Another IT-job is recommended (product/analyst/manager/other)"
• "There is a doubt: you need to do an extra task"
• "It is recommended not to concentrate on an IT-career right now"
You will receive a detailed assessment of your hard and soft skills and whether they are sufficient for working in QA. You will also learn what challenges you may face during your education and future career.
If QA isn't right for you but you have potential in IT, I will suggest a more suitable IT specialty.
✓ Found out that QA isn't for you? Congratulations—you just saved yourself six months of your life and a lot of money on unneeded education! In this case, you haven't lost anything yet and can look into other specialties.
✓ Successfully completed the vocational guidance course? Now you can be totally sure that QA is your thing. You can start learning this profession. You won't waste your time, you'll get a job that's perfect for you and you'll turn a new page in your life!
Successful completion of this vocational guidance course is mandatory for enrollment in a professional QA course "Manual Testing from Scratch".
✓ Successfully completed the vocational guidance course? Now you can be totally sure that QA is your thing. You can start learning this profession. You won't waste your time, you'll get a job that's perfect for you and you'll turn a new page in your life!
Successful completion of this vocational guidance course is mandatory for enrollment in a professional QA course "Manual Testing from Scratch".
Nataliya: «Different from the “tests” and “interviews” of other training platforms»
— Semyon: «It will save you a lot of time and money in the future»
— Aleksandr: «The course surprised me. I thought that in the end they would drag me into a paid course»
— Tatyana: «There were doubts that the free course would include group online screening and a personal meeting with a mentor»
— Aleksandr: «The course surprised me. I thought that in the end they would drag me into a paid course»
— Tatyana: «There were doubts that the free course would include group online screening and a personal meeting with a mentor»
Some of the student reviews on studying at Mentorpiece:
Interesting, useful, and relevant.
The course was quite a surprise; I thought that in the end they would try to get me to take QA manual courses. But, surprisingly, they didn't. Instead, they gave an objective assessment and talked about many nuances of the modern QA market. The course itself is logical and well-structured.
The course was quite a surprise; I thought that in the end they would try to get me to take QA manual courses. But, surprisingly, they didn't. Instead, they gave an objective assessment and talked about many nuances of the modern QA market. The course itself is logical and well-structured.
I took a vocational guidance course, which was free of charge.
I should start by saying that I already have experience in QA, but completing the vocational guidance course was a prerequisite for enrolling in the QA course itself. I was pleasantly surprised because it gave me another opportunity to look at things from the outside and think about whether I was on the right track and whether I wanted to continue in this direction.
And for people with no experience in QA, I think it's a real godsend! Completing the assignments also tests your overall motivation, as people who are too lazy or uninterested are unlikely to spend time on it.
The last stage was a phone call with mentor Lilia. She seemed pleasant to talk to, asked about my motivation, and answered my questions.
So I highly recommend it, especially since the course is free. And I'm going to continue with the QA course!
I should start by saying that I already have experience in QA, but completing the vocational guidance course was a prerequisite for enrolling in the QA course itself. I was pleasantly surprised because it gave me another opportunity to look at things from the outside and think about whether I was on the right track and whether I wanted to continue in this direction.
And for people with no experience in QA, I think it's a real godsend! Completing the assignments also tests your overall motivation, as people who are too lazy or uninterested are unlikely to spend time on it.
The last stage was a phone call with mentor Lilia. She seemed pleasant to talk to, asked about my motivation, and answered my questions.
So I highly recommend it, especially since the course is free. And I'm going to continue with the QA course!
I took a vocational guidance course from Mentorpiece. I liked everything about it. My inner questions were answered, and I got rid of my doubts.
The program is brilliantly designed. The profession is complex, specific, and unique—you need to understand whether it's right for you or not. I would like to say a few words about the skill level of the mentors. They are not only professionals in their field, but also good psychologists, people who want to figure things out, understand, and ultimately meet you halfway!
10 out of 10 points. I very rarely see such a high-quality product... well thought out... competent... useful!
Colleagues, thank you very much for your work and for your time.
The program is brilliantly designed. The profession is complex, specific, and unique—you need to understand whether it's right for you or not. I would like to say a few words about the skill level of the mentors. They are not only professionals in their field, but also good psychologists, people who want to figure things out, understand, and ultimately meet you halfway!
10 out of 10 points. I very rarely see such a high-quality product... well thought out... competent... useful!
Colleagues, thank you very much for your work and for your time.
About completing the vocational guidance course for QA engineers
9, not 10, because I wouldn't recommend it to everyone, only to those who are interested in working in IT in some capacity.
And I've already told one person about it.
I liked that there was a lot of introductory information for technical specialties in general, which gives an overall idea of software development in IT, and in particular about the work of a QA engineer, albeit without details, but there are other materials on the website for that.
Problems that arose in the first stage:
The requirements in the assignments were not entirely clear, with sometimes ambiguous wording.
In the second stage, I liked the fact that there were real-time solutions to basic tester tasks. It was interesting to work in groups and listen to the supervisor's explanations on how to solve certain issues.
The third stage's list of questions made me wonder whether it is necessary to do everything on my own, rather than just getting feedback from the mentor.
Overall, I really liked it.
9, not 10, because I wouldn't recommend it to everyone, only to those who are interested in working in IT in some capacity.
And I've already told one person about it.
I liked that there was a lot of introductory information for technical specialties in general, which gives an overall idea of software development in IT, and in particular about the work of a QA engineer, albeit without details, but there are other materials on the website for that.
Problems that arose in the first stage:
The requirements in the assignments were not entirely clear, with sometimes ambiguous wording.
In the second stage, I liked the fact that there were real-time solutions to basic tester tasks. It was interesting to work in groups and listen to the supervisor's explanations on how to solve certain issues.
The third stage's list of questions made me wonder whether it is necessary to do everything on my own, rather than just getting feedback from the mentor.
Overall, I really liked it.
An excellent course that allows you to better understand both the QA profession and yourself. Ultimately, you will find the answer to the question of whether it is worth spending your time, energy, and money on further training. First and foremost, the course helps you take a look at yourself from the outside and analyze your motivation. Are you really interested in testing? Is this profession right for you? Do you have the qualities needed to be a good specialist in this field? Well, practical assignments allow you to “get a feel” for the profession and also draw some conclusions for yourself.
I recommend this course to anyone who is serious about choosing a new profession and further education.
I recommend this course to anyone who is serious about choosing a new profession and further education.
Vocational guidance is awesome)
The first two stages are very helpful in figuring out whether QA is right for a person and allow them to try a little testing on their own. This is very good, especially for those transitioning to QA from other fields. This is not exactly my case, but if I had had a similar course when I was just starting to learn about testing, it would have been a little easier for me.
The last stage, with individual vocational guidance, was extremely useful to me, as it helped me understand what was going on with my current skills, think about where else I could apply them, whether it was worth staying in QA, deepening my knowledge and growing as a professional in this field, or whether my abilities were more suited to related fields.
I had a lot of doubts about everything related to professional development, and individual vocational guidance helped me decide what to do with my experience and abilities.
The first two stages are very helpful in figuring out whether QA is right for a person and allow them to try a little testing on their own. This is very good, especially for those transitioning to QA from other fields. This is not exactly my case, but if I had had a similar course when I was just starting to learn about testing, it would have been a little easier for me.
The last stage, with individual vocational guidance, was extremely useful to me, as it helped me understand what was going on with my current skills, think about where else I could apply them, whether it was worth staying in QA, deepening my knowledge and growing as a professional in this field, or whether my abilities were more suited to related fields.
I had a lot of doubts about everything related to professional development, and individual vocational guidance helped me decide what to do with my experience and abilities.
Let me put it this way: if you've decided to switch careers to QA, you should definitely check out this course. It will really help you decide whether it's worth it or not. I haven't seen anything like it on other platforms.
A useful course. Although it is called a “vocational guidance course,” it is not at all like various career guidance tests. Here, you have to make an effort, think, and set aside time to complete the assignments. To be honest, I had doubts that a free course would include group online screening and a personal meeting with a mentor, but they were unfounded. I completed all three stages and have no regrets. I definitely recommend signing up to anyone who is unsure.
I am very glad that I took this vocational guidance course, which, unlike the “tests” and “interviews” from other training platforms, gives you the opportunity to objectively assess, first, whether you have the skills to work as a QA engineer, secondly, in the process of solving sample tasks, how interested you are in doing this, and thirdly, to understand the approximate workload during your studies. And the icing on the cake, if you get to an individual consultation with an experienced QA, is to decide whether to go or not, or to go, but later.
Чтобы попасть учеником на курс Manual QA от Mentorpiece нужно пройти профориентацию!
Это само по себе значимое событие, в общем-то настоящий экзамен с тестовыми заданиями, групповой работой, индивидуальным интервью.
Исключительно приятные и понимающие ребята, очень комфортное общение.
Если они так тщательно отбирают, как же тщательно они учат 🙈
Профориентацию я прошла и приступила к обучению.
Кажется курс был выбран правильно!
Это само по себе значимое событие, в общем-то настоящий экзамен с тестовыми заданиями, групповой работой, индивидуальным интервью.
Исключительно приятные и понимающие ребята, очень комфортное общение.
Если они так тщательно отбирают, как же тщательно они учат 🙈
Профориентацию я прошла и приступила к обучению.
Кажется курс был выбран правильно!
Good afternoon. I took a free vocational guidance course and I don't regret it at all.
Firstly, it immediately became clear that they wanted to show as accurately as possible that being a QA engineer is not for everyone. It is a difficult profession in itself, not to mention the fact that it is far from the easiest way to “get into IT.”
Moreover, you need to have a certain personality type and skills to have at least a chance of succeeding, since the work that a QA does is very specific. A significant part of the course is devoted to this, in addition to the basic things that a tester needs to understand.
The course covers at best 1% of what you will need to learn for real work, so any illusions disappear immediately. You need to put in a lot of effort just to get a job. Therefore, I definitely recommend spending time on this vocational guidance for those who are just starting out. It may save you a lot of time and money in the future.
As for training courses, it's hard to judge until you've taken one. And it's almost always a lottery, because absolutely every excellent course now has a sufficient number of negative reviews. That's the IT training industry today — competitors are ready for anything, and you can never be completely sure that you won't be wasting your money. But for some reason, I feel a sense of trust toward this team.
Let's see where this road leads.
Firstly, it immediately became clear that they wanted to show as accurately as possible that being a QA engineer is not for everyone. It is a difficult profession in itself, not to mention the fact that it is far from the easiest way to “get into IT.”
Moreover, you need to have a certain personality type and skills to have at least a chance of succeeding, since the work that a QA does is very specific. A significant part of the course is devoted to this, in addition to the basic things that a tester needs to understand.
The course covers at best 1% of what you will need to learn for real work, so any illusions disappear immediately. You need to put in a lot of effort just to get a job. Therefore, I definitely recommend spending time on this vocational guidance for those who are just starting out. It may save you a lot of time and money in the future.
As for training courses, it's hard to judge until you've taken one. And it's almost always a lottery, because absolutely every excellent course now has a sufficient number of negative reviews. That's the IT training industry today — competitors are ready for anything, and you can never be completely sure that you won't be wasting your money. But for some reason, I feel a sense of trust toward this team.
Let's see where this road leads.
A good option for deciding on a career path.
Overall, the course is useful in terms of determining whether this is the right career path for me. I would like to highlight the online work with the mentor, especially the teamwork and discussion.
Thank you very much for the opportunity to discuss the issue one-on-one with the mentor and understand the specifics of the industry and the situation on the labor market.
When I started the very first assignment, I was more interested in training my brain in a field that, although not new to me, was not my main focus. But with each new assignment, my confidence and desire to learn more grew.
Overall, the course is useful in terms of determining whether this is the right career path for me. I would like to highlight the online work with the mentor, especially the teamwork and discussion.
Thank you very much for the opportunity to discuss the issue one-on-one with the mentor and understand the specifics of the industry and the situation on the labor market.
When I started the very first assignment, I was more interested in training my brain in a field that, although not new to me, was not my main focus. But with each new assignment, my confidence and desire to learn more grew.
For anyone looking to find themselves
For anyone unsure if QA is right for them
For anyone who wants to learn about QA — everyone should take the vocational guidance course at Mentorpiece!
Complete the assignments, go through the three stages, and talk to a real person — a QA expert who will guide you into QA or perhaps advise you to pursue a different path (and no, they won't try to drag you into the paid course).
Just give it a try — the course is free, straightforward, and interesting!
For anyone unsure if QA is right for them
For anyone who wants to learn about QA — everyone should take the vocational guidance course at Mentorpiece!
Complete the assignments, go through the three stages, and talk to a real person — a QA expert who will guide you into QA or perhaps advise you to pursue a different path (and no, they won't try to drag you into the paid course).
Just give it a try — the course is free, straightforward, and interesting!
I stumbled upon an article by the course founder on Habr.
I haven't seen a single course that offers vocational guidance at the beginning. And I haven't seen a course with such a long internship. That impressed me.
The course itself was interesting and useful. Group call and personal consultation with the mentor were an important part of the process. It was great to get a taste of teamwork.
I got what I wanted out of the course. Thank you.
I haven't seen a single course that offers vocational guidance at the beginning. And I haven't seen a course with such a long internship. That impressed me.
The course itself was interesting and useful. Group call and personal consultation with the mentor were an important part of the process. It was great to get a taste of teamwork.
I got what I wanted out of the course. Thank you.
This will help you make a conscious choice. I don't have much experience with career guidance tests, let alone vocational guidance courses. But the Mentorpiece course helped me test the strength of my desire to study QA. The process is designed in such a way that you have to answer a series of important questions in order to come to an informed decision: “I can master a new profession in IT.” Awareness is the key word of the entire course and is repeated many times.
A great free way to figure out if you should study QA.
I came to the course with the firm conviction that testing (QA) was what I needed, and successfully completing the mini vocational guidance course only confirmed this.
A big plus of this course, for those who plan to continue studying at Mentorpiece, is the opportunity to evaluate how training will take place on their LMS (Learning Management System), see how the theory chapters are written and how the material is tested, talk personally with the course creator Lilia Urmazova, and ask any questions you may have about the course.
Also, based on my experience of taking other paid courses, I can say that when there is no entrance selection, there are always a significant number of students who ended up there by accident: they can't keep up with their studies (too difficult), can't devote enough time to them, or become disappointed in the profession (it's not what they imagined). Taking the course helps you to better assess both the complexity of the material and how much time the student can actually devote to studying, and to understand a little better what QA engineers do in practice — and as a result, not to spend a considerable amount of money on training if something in this puzzle does not fit together.
And, of course, one should not underestimate the fact that the assessment of whether QA is right for you is also provided by a professional with 20+ years of experience in QA, who has trained and hired a large number of people and can objectively assess whether QA is suitable for this particular person.
I came to the course with the firm conviction that testing (QA) was what I needed, and successfully completing the mini vocational guidance course only confirmed this.
A big plus of this course, for those who plan to continue studying at Mentorpiece, is the opportunity to evaluate how training will take place on their LMS (Learning Management System), see how the theory chapters are written and how the material is tested, talk personally with the course creator Lilia Urmazova, and ask any questions you may have about the course.
Also, based on my experience of taking other paid courses, I can say that when there is no entrance selection, there are always a significant number of students who ended up there by accident: they can't keep up with their studies (too difficult), can't devote enough time to them, or become disappointed in the profession (it's not what they imagined). Taking the course helps you to better assess both the complexity of the material and how much time the student can actually devote to studying, and to understand a little better what QA engineers do in practice — and as a result, not to spend a considerable amount of money on training if something in this puzzle does not fit together.
And, of course, one should not underestimate the fact that the assessment of whether QA is right for you is also provided by a professional with 20+ years of experience in QA, who has trained and hired a large number of people and can objectively assess whether QA is suitable for this particular person.
QA or factory, that is the question
At first, it wasn't quite clear why I had to take this course.
I had already decided that I wanted to pay for the Manual QA course and learn.
But as I progressed and neared the end, I understood why it was necessary.
Right now, the junior market is heavily oversaturated with people who are trying to get into IT without really understanding what it's all about.
Many think that it's “easy” to get in through QA.
It is precisely these people who create a false sense of competition and only add more work for HR.
This course works on a win-win basis.
If a potential applicant does not pass, they receive professional feedback with recommendations. Perhaps they will give up on their idea, or perhaps not and go pay those who don't care who they train.
In the end, you get students who are interested and have the necessary qualities and skills, or can develop them.
The material is quite simple, but the cool game format with simple examples allows you to immerse yourself and look at a mundane situation from above. And try to find the reasons why a particular action happened.
It was very interesting.
The final conversation with the mentor was also very useful.
It was great to talk to an experienced person and realize once again that this is something I'm interested in.
Ultimately, if any of my friends want to try their hand at QA, I will definitely recommend this course.
10 out of 10 vocational guidance courses.
Thank you)
At first, it wasn't quite clear why I had to take this course.
I had already decided that I wanted to pay for the Manual QA course and learn.
But as I progressed and neared the end, I understood why it was necessary.
Right now, the junior market is heavily oversaturated with people who are trying to get into IT without really understanding what it's all about.
Many think that it's “easy” to get in through QA.
It is precisely these people who create a false sense of competition and only add more work for HR.
This course works on a win-win basis.
If a potential applicant does not pass, they receive professional feedback with recommendations. Perhaps they will give up on their idea, or perhaps not and go pay those who don't care who they train.
In the end, you get students who are interested and have the necessary qualities and skills, or can develop them.
The material is quite simple, but the cool game format with simple examples allows you to immerse yourself and look at a mundane situation from above. And try to find the reasons why a particular action happened.
It was very interesting.
The final conversation with the mentor was also very useful.
It was great to talk to an experienced person and realize once again that this is something I'm interested in.
Ultimately, if any of my friends want to try their hand at QA, I will definitely recommend this course.
10 out of 10 vocational guidance courses.
Thank you)
Those who successfully completed vocational guidance now work in IT companies in these countries:
The vocational guidance course is free of charge.
However, if the mentor is currently unavailable, you may need to wait approximately 10 days to complete stage 3 (individual interview with the mentor).
However, if the mentor is currently unavailable, you may need to wait approximately 10 days to complete stage 3 (individual interview with the mentor).
Learning to be a QA engineer, including an internship, can't take less than 5-6 months.
Employment as a result of education like this is an exception rather than the rule. And it is somewhat naive to think that by spending $200 you can easily get a job that will bring in $10,000 over the next 12 months (the average annual salary of a QA engineer with entry-level experience in the CIS countries). Miracles don't happen.
This vocational guidance course is designed for those who have a realistic approach to learning a new profession. Those who are prepared to invest the necessary amount of money and a significant amount of time in education over the next six months, but are not entirely sure that these resources will not be wasted.
Employment as a result of education like this is an exception rather than the rule. And it is somewhat naive to think that by spending $200 you can easily get a job that will bring in $10,000 over the next 12 months (the average annual salary of a QA engineer with entry-level experience in the CIS countries). Miracles don't happen.
This vocational guidance course is designed for those who have a realistic approach to learning a new profession. Those who are prepared to invest the necessary amount of money and a significant amount of time in education over the next six months, but are not entirely sure that these resources will not be wasted.
Since we offer professional education and small groups (only 15 students), it is extremely important for us to achieve two goals: “90% of those who enroll successfully complete their education” and “90% of graduates successfully find a job.” Without honest vocational guidance, these goals are impossible to achieve. That is why we do not accept money from those who do not have the aptitude for the QA profession and will inevitably “drop out” at some stage.
On the status.mentorpiece.education page, you can see statistics on the completion of the vocational guidance course.
On the status.mentorpiece.education page, you can see statistics on the completion of the vocational guidance course.
We consider this ratio to be completely normal. It would apply to career guidance for any other profession.
The goal of the vocational guidance course is to give confidence to those who have the aptitude for the QA profession and for whom it is truly suitable. Six months of studying and months of job hunting is a long time, and in order not to get discouraged, you need to be confident that you have made the right choice.
At the same time, the vocational guidance course warns against mistakes for those for whom studying will be long and painful, and job hunting will drag on indefinitely. Because this is not their profession.
Clear red flags are:
• You found out about the QA profession less than a month ago
• The initiative to consider a career in QA came from your friends or relatives
• You still have a hard time understanding what QA engineers do
The goal of the vocational guidance course is to give confidence to those who have the aptitude for the QA profession and for whom it is truly suitable. Six months of studying and months of job hunting is a long time, and in order not to get discouraged, you need to be confident that you have made the right choice.
At the same time, the vocational guidance course warns against mistakes for those for whom studying will be long and painful, and job hunting will drag on indefinitely. Because this is not their profession.
Clear red flags are:
• You found out about the QA profession less than a month ago
• The initiative to consider a career in QA came from your friends or relatives
• You still have a hard time understanding what QA engineers do
Completing stage 1 (interactive textbook, online tests and homework assignments) takes an average of 8 hours of pure time.
Stage 2 (screening for a QA's mindset in the form of a team workshop) and stage 3 (individual vocational guidance from a QA mentor with over 20 years of IT experience) are one-off events and take 2 hours each.
Stage 2 (screening for a QA's mindset in the form of a team workshop) and stage 3 (individual vocational guidance from a QA mentor with over 20 years of IT experience) are one-off events and take 2 hours each.
The result of vocational guidance is not a sentence for life.
• Complete the free 100-Year QA Textbook — an interactive textbook that includes 42 modules, 42 sets of online tests and more than 700 pages devoted to test design, working with requirements, documentation, testing at all levels and defect localization in three-tier architecture, databases, Linux, networks, development methodologies and other useful topics.
• More information on the page How to become a QA for free.
If you start to feel “drawn in,” it makes sense to take the vocational guidance course again.
• Complete the free 100-Year QA Textbook — an interactive textbook that includes 42 modules, 42 sets of online tests and more than 700 pages devoted to test design, working with requirements, documentation, testing at all levels and defect localization in three-tier architecture, databases, Linux, networks, development methodologies and other useful topics.
• More information on the page How to become a QA for free.
If you start to feel “drawn in,” it makes sense to take the vocational guidance course again.
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