CareersQA Engineer

QE

Verified Career Path

QA Engineer: Facts, Skills, and Next Paths

A QA Engineer designs and executes tests to find defects before software reaches users. Day-to-day work involves creating test plans, running manual and automated tests, documenting bugs, and verifying fixes. They collaborate with developers and business analysts to understand requirements and ensure the product meets quality standards.

QA Engineers are embedded in agile teams, working alongside developers and testers throughout the development cycle. At SAIC, they analyze complex testing problems and review work products for correctness. At NTT DATA, they define test strategies for Salesforce solutions, execute test cases across environments, and manage defect resolutions. They also use SQL for data validation and REST APIs for integration testing, and they document processes and test results.

The median salary for QA Engineers is approximately $140,000. The most requested skills in current job postings are Agile/Scrum and Quality Assurance & Testing (both 70%), followed by Automation (60%).

$78,324 – $132,197

8 resume skills

93 adjacent paths

QE

TA

QL

SM

SQ

RE

$78,324 – $132,197

Avg. Salary

18 paths

Adjacent Paths

58% avg. match

Avg. Match Score

68.9 shared skills

Shared Foundation

Live market pulse· updated 4d ago

Salary (live)

$78,324 – $132,197

median $101,292

Hiring now

20+ recent postings

Who's hiring

Global Dimensions, LLC, Kforce Inc, Sinclair Inc.

The Skill Blueprint for QA Engineer

The core competencies employers ask for. Use them to strengthen your resume, spot gaps, and compare related career options.

In demand right nowTesting · 90%Automation · 75%Agile/Scrum · 70%Engineering · 70%Quality Assurance & Testing · 65%Test Automation · 65%CI/CD · 60%Software Engineering · 60%

Where Else Can QA Engineer Skills Take You?

Build toward this role and you may be building toward several others. Explore the paths that share the same foundation.

Adjacent Paths from QA Engineer

Sort by:

1

Test Automation Engineer

91 shared skills · Engineering

76%

+$24kLateral shift

2

QA Lead

61 shared skills · Engineering

67%

−$3kLateral shift

3

Scrum Master

58 shared skills · Project Management

64%

+$26kCareer change

4

Senior QA Engineer

65 shared skills · Engineering

62%

+$35kLateral shift

5

Robotics Engineer

43 shared skills · Engineering

59%

+$24kCareer change

6

Principal Software Engineer

76 shared skills · Engineering

58%

+$64kCareer change

7

Senior Software Engineer

73 shared skills · Engineering

58%

+$61kCareer change

8

Junior Software Engineer

73 shared skills · Engineering

57%

+$31kCareer change

9

Frontend Engineer

83 shared skills · Engineering

56%

+$45kCareer change

10

Senior Backend Engineer

64 shared skills · Engineering

56%

+$84kCareer change

11

Mobile Engineer

79 shared skills · Engineering

54%

+$53kCareer change

12

Business Systems Analyst

63 shared skills · Business

54%

+$46kCareer change

13

Senior Site Reliability Engineer

60 shared skills · Engineering

54%

+$46kCareer change

14

Staff Software Engineer

63 shared skills · Engineering

54%

+$86kCareer change

15

Full-Stack Engineer

86 shared skills · Engineering

53%

+$41kCareer change

16

Senior Full-Stack Engineer

62 shared skills · Engineering

53%

+$91kCareer change

17

Lead Business Analyst

59 shared skills · Business

53%

+$51kCareer change

18

Site Reliability Engineer

82 shared skills · Engineering

53%

+$57kCareer change

Showing the top 18 of 93 transitions — explore the rest via the Network map.

Why People Explore QA Engineer

High Impact Visibility

QA Engineers sit at a critical intersection in the organization. Your work directly ties to key business metrics — making your impact visible across teams and to leadership.

Resume Signal

The skills behind QA Engineer — Quality Assurance & Testing, Test Automation, Unit Testing — give you concrete language for resumes, interviews, and adjacent roles.