I have 2 years of experience in manual testing, and I am currently learning automation testing in my spare time. I was thinking that will getting a foundation/entry testing certification really help me in promotions and increase my salary or just increase my knowledge and nothing more? Even if I wish to try to get certified and pass the exams, is it too late or can I try after a few more years?
Kindly suggest!
I have 2 years of experience in manual testing, and I am currently learning automation testing in my spare time.
Great, try and implement some of the techniques you are using in your spare time at your work too. This will lead to a great deal of success at learning and speed up your manual testing process drastically. My primary cause for Automation at most of my positions was more to set up data how I needed it than to actually test anything with the automation. This WILL lead to pay raises, more job security and will look a lot better on a resume/interview than I learned it in my spare time.
I was thinking that will getting a foundation/entry testing certification really help me in promotions and increase my salary or just increase my knowledge and nothing more?
Gaining knowledge is always a positive. I will never recommend to someone to not gain knowledge in their field. Is the certificate itself worth it? Probably not honestly, but if it teaches you something and helps to validate that you are experienced in the field, it can be useful. The only way I see it being beneficial as a certificate would be if you and another candidate are viewed as equals it might be the boost you need for the position.
Even if I wish to try to get certified and pass the exams, is it too late or can I try after a few more years?
I would recommend doing this as soon as possible if you are going to. A lot of the courses cover the basics that if you wait a few years for it will essentially just either reinforce what you already know or tell you that your habits that have already been well formed are incorrect.
Overall, SQA is a very skilled position and most managers and recruiters respect that it requires a mentality that is difficult to find. A lot of the instincts that are required can not be taught or transferred. The pieces that transforms someone from being decent to great in this field is that inquisitive nature. Because of this, I see a lot of the certificates as purely self validation and the knowledge gained being the beneficial part.
What kind of certification are you talking about?
You wrote something about foundation certification, I'm assuming it to be ISTQB. Well I have one of those and it didn't help me in any way. I didn't learn anything that I didn't already know before it. I didn't get promoted. My pay scale is still the same.
If you are looking to widen your skill set, then I suggest you keep practicing testing. Participate in online communities, forums and discussions. Read and write blogs about testing. Contact experts in testing, converse with them and learn from them. A certification will never teach you what all of these will.
In the end its always up to you to decide what's best for you. What does your heart say? Listen to it and go ahead with it...
Because we don't know you, your skills, your other options, and your job market, we have no way to give you good valid advice, beyond "it depends". Also, responses given here in stack exchange sites should be usable by other people who would find it. This, by definition, cannot be true for a personal career advice.
For that reason, career advice like you are asking for, is off topic for most Stack Exchange sites (all I know of).
Try to search https://workplace.stackexchange.com/ for questions/answers about how to get good career advice - how to find people around you who know you and your local market and can give you more personalized response. One example would be to find local Meetup or LinkedIn groups. Talk to people in meatspace.
By doing your own search, doing your own homework, you show you have skills to succeed. Without such skills, you will be perceived as a leech and most people would not want to waste time trying to help you.
Good luck!
I am working since several in testing.
A foundation certification is all the time a bonus. Anyway it will not make you an expert.
It allows you to have a basic understanding about testing, what is the aim and what we expect.
The basic certification will show you the good practice. You will learn some stuffs that you can make you more efficient in your work.
Automation is important, often customer is expected more than a functional tester, technical skills are good to automatize your work.
One of the most famous certification is ISTQB.
http://www.istqb.org
