Quality Assurance Leads: How to Become One
If you were to ask a group of quality assurance leads about how they arrived at their current job, there's a good chance you would get several different answers about the paths and steps that each person took.
That said, there are still ways that you can develop a baseline understanding of the preparation that is necessary to become one.
The Best Adult Colleges and Careers Guide has gathered data to provide you with insight into the type of education that's commonly required for quality assurance leads to land a job. This page contains information, sourced from real job postings, that describes the experience levels and specific skills that employers of quality assurance leads expect candidates to have. In the end, this information will help you create an education or professional development plan that aligns with your career aspirations.
Keep reading to learn more about career steps for quality assurance leads.
What Education & Experience is Needed for Quality Assurance Leads?
Do quality assurance leads need a degree? What kind of experience do quality assurance leads typically need? Thanks to data sourced from Lightcast™ from real job postings, we can get some clarity on those questions, as well as the level of education that is commonly required for quality assurance leads to secure jobs.
Education Level Required in Job Postings for Quality Assurance Leads
Jobs Postings for Quality Assurance Leads By Education
- Bachelor's degree: 84,781 (49%)
- No Education Listed: 56,073 (32%)
- Master's degree: 18,570 (11%)
- High School or GED: 9,522 (6%)
- Ph.D. or professional degree: 4,134 (2%)
A bachelor's degree is the level of education sought the most by employers of quality assurance leads. According to job data, a bachelor's degree was required for 49% of positions. In 32% of job listings no education level was listed and in 11% of postings a master's degree was required.
Experience Level Required in Job Postings for Quality Assurance Leads
Jobs Postings for Quality Assurance Leads By Experience
- 0-1 Years: 9,772 (10%)
- 2-3 Years: 30,133 (30%)
- 4-6 Years: 39,396 (39%)
- 7-9 Years: 13,785 (14%)
- 10+ Years: 8,178 (8%)
While the amount of required experience will vary based on the responsibility and seniority of the position, an aggregate view of job posting data can help paint a picture of the experience level sought for most job openings for quality assurance leads. In 39% of job postings for Quality Assurance Leads, employers were looking for candidates with 4-6 years of experience. In 30% of listings employers were looking for candidates with 2-3 years of experience, while 7-9 years of experience was sought in 14% of job postings for quality assurance leads.
What Kind of Degree Do Quality Assurance Leads Need?
So far this page has provided detail into the level of education and the amount of experience required in job openings for quality assurance leads, but what type of education or degree will help prepare you for a career in the field?
According to occupational data obtained through Lightcast,™ there are 20 key academic programs that can help prepare prospective quality assurance leads, and in 2021 a total of 175,803 of those programs were completed at institutions in the United States.
Check out the information below to learn more about the specific programs that should be considered by prospective quality assurance leads.
Top Degree Programs for Quality Assurance Leads
Top 5 Degree Programs for Quality Assurance Leads (2021)
Program | Completions |
---|---|
Computer Science. | 59,346 |
Computer and Information Sciences, General. | 51,511 |
Information Science/Studies. | 18,279 |
Computer Engineering, General. | 13,416 |
Computer Programming/Programmer, General. | 8,719 |
Program | Completions |
---|---|
Computer Science. | 59,346 |
Computer and Information Sciences, General. | 51,511 |
Information Science/Studies. | 18,279 |
Computer Engineering, General. | 13,416 |
Computer Programming/Programmer, General. | 8,719 |
Manufacturing Engineering Technology/Technician. | 4,769 |
Computer Software Engineering. | 4,226 |
Computer/Information Technology Services Administration and Management, Other. | 4,000 |
Computer Programming, Specific Applications. | 2,399 |
Computer Systems Analysis/Analyst. | 2,305 |
Computer and Information Sciences, Other. | 1,880 |
Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services, Other. | 1,755 |
Computer Software and Media Applications, Other. | 1,437 |
Data Science, General. | 526 |
E-Commerce/Electronic Commerce. | 293 |
Computer Programming, Vendor/Product Certification. | 278 |
Computer Software Technology/Technician. | 248 |
Computer Programming, Specific Platforms. | 173 |
Computer Programming, Other. | 152 |
Computer Engineering Technologies/Technicians, Other. | 91 |
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Degree Options for Quality Assurance Leads
Develop the advanced technical skills needed to turn complex programming specifications into well-designed computer programs.
- Class Type: Face-to-face, Online coursework
- Placement Tests: GMAT/GRE not required for admission
What Skills Do Quality Assurance Leads Need?
Education and experience have been covered, so what are the specific skills and traits needed by quality assurance leads to secure a job?
A good way to understand this is to examine actual job postings for skills commonly sought by employers. Continue reading for a breakdown of specialized skills found in job postings for quality assurance leads, as well as common skills that can help you thrive in the workplace.
In-Demand Skills for Today's Quality Assurance Leads
Based on 150,346 job postings
Top 5 Specialized Skills for Quality Assurance Leads
Skills | Postings | % of Total Postings |
---|---|---|
Automation | 65,643 | 44% |
Test Automation | 62,409 | 42% |
Test Planning | 51,595 | 34% |
Agile Methodology | 48,141 | 32% |
Computer Science | 39,513 | 26% |
Top 5 Common Skills for Quality Assurance Leads
Skills | Postings | % of Total Postings |
---|---|---|
Safety Assurance | 66,965 | 45% |
Communications | 56,983 | 38% |
Quality Assurance | 55,056 | 37% |
Management | 40,154 | 27% |
Problem Solving | 32,917 | 22% |
Based on 150,346 job postings related to quality assurance leads, automation was the top specialized skill sought by employers, with 44% of all postings looking for that skillset. Skills for test automation, test planning, agile methodology, computer science and selenium (software) were also highly sought.
As for common skills, safety assurance was the most desired skill found in job postings for quality assurance leads, followed by communications, quality assurance, management, problem solving and troubleshooting (problem solving).
Skill | Postings | % of Total Postings |
---|---|---|
Automation | 65,643 | 44% |
Test Automation | 62,409 | 42% |
Test Planning | 51,595 | 34% |
Agile Methodology | 48,141 | 32% |
Computer Science | 39,513 | 26% |
Selenium (Software) | 32,335 | 22% |
Software Testing | 31,515 | 21% |
SQL (Programming Language) | 31,276 | 21% |
Java (Programming Language) | 30,218 | 20% |
JIRA | 26,709 | 18% |
Software Quality (SQA/SQC) | 26,228 | 17% |
Python (Programming Language) | 24,568 | 16% |
Software Development | 22,721 | 15% |
Scrum (Software Development) | 21,743 | 14% |
Scripting | 20,974 | 14% |
Application Programming Interface (API) | 20,826 | 14% |
Test Engineering | 19,904 | 13% |
Regression Testing | 19,485 | 13% |
Project Management | 18,391 | 12% |
JavaScript (Programming Language) | 16,409 | 11% |
Skill | Postings | % of Total Postings |
---|---|---|
Safety Assurance | 66,965 | 45% |
Communications | 56,983 | 38% |
Quality Assurance | 55,056 | 37% |
Management | 40,154 | 27% |
Problem Solving | 32,917 | 22% |
Troubleshooting (Problem Solving) | 24,953 | 17% |
Writing | 24,401 | 16% |
Detail Oriented | 24,125 | 16% |
Leadership | 23,750 | 16% |
Planning | 21,979 | 15% |
Operations | 19,679 | 13% |
Self-Motivation | 15,212 | 10% |
Customer Service | 15,179 | 10% |
Verbal Communication Skills | 14,946 | 10% |
Interpersonal Communications | 12,344 | 8% |
Microsoft Excel | 11,857 | 8% |
Coordinating | 11,671 | 8% |
Microsoft Office | 11,344 | 8% |
Innovation | 11,183 | 7% |
Research | 10,903 | 7% |
Additional Links
Ready to dig deeper into career information about quality assurance leads? Visit our other pages focused on salary and education for quality assurance leads.
What do quality assurance leads do?
How much do quality assurance leads make?
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