If you have an eye for detail and an interest in making sure things work as they should then a career as a Quality Assurance Analyst could be for you.
Career Overview
Quality Assurance Analysts typically spend their time testing products to ensure that they meet the standards that a company is looking for. This means that they test that the product is reliable, functional, and user-friendly. Quality Assurance Analysts can work in a number of fields: software companies, manufacturing plants, and any other service facilities or corporations where checking the quality of a product is important. A large proportion of Quality Assurance Analysts work at software companies, checking the software to make sure that it is of the highest quality.
Required School Subjects
If you would like to pursue a career as a Quality Assurance Analyst, then you will need the following subjects to begin your studies towards becoming one:
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- Pure Mathematics
- Accounting
- Economics
Recommended subjects:
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- IT
Institution and APS
There are a number of tertiary institutions in South Africa that offer the high quality education that would allow you to become a Quality Assurance Analyst, but we recommend the following:
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- Stellenbosch University – APS of 390 at minimum for consideration
- University of Cape Town (UCT) – Faculty Point Score (FPS) of 480 for guarunteed entrance
Required Qualification/s
In order to become a qualified and employable Quality Assurance Analyst you will most likely be required to have studied in the field within which you will be employed to perform quality assurance analysis i.e. if you are hired by a software company then it may help for you to have studied computer science at university.
Required Skills
The following skills are needed in order to be a successful Quality Assurance Analyst:
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- Confidence
- The ability to approach situations creatively
- Strong IT skills
- Both verbal and written skills
- Data analysis
Where you can work
As a Quality Assurance Analyst, you have the option to either work full time for a company or as a contractor. You can work wherever quality assurance is needed – from the software industry to insurance and all the way to government.
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Working Hours
As a Quality Assurance Analyst, your employers will dictate your working hours to you. If you are a full time employee then you will conform to the company’s working hours. If you are a contractor then you will work according to the hours stipulated in your contract.
Expected Salary
Quality Assurance Analysts can expect to earn R220 000/year on average (R18 000/month), with some earning as much as R350 000/year (29 000/month).
What to expect
To be a Quality Assurance Analyst would entail a career in a field that you are passionate about and you would have the opportunity to ensure the sustainability and growth of certain products and companies within that field.
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