One of the questions I get asked the most is, “How do I get into QA?” or “What’s the best resource to learn ___?”
I wish there were one perfect answer, but there really isn’t.
QA is weird because it touches so many different areas. One day you might be writing SQL queries, the next you’re debugging an API, then learning Playwright/Cypress/Selenium/etc, and before long you’re trying to understand CI/CD pipelines. It can feel overwhelming because there’s always something else to learn.
These are just a handful of resources I’ve personally used over the years that have genuinely helped me.
QA at the Point
I’m a little biased since I sat on the board, but QA at the Point is one of my favorite QA communities.
If you’re in Utah, I highly recommend coming to a meetup. We cover everything from manual testing and automation to leadership, accessibility, AI, and career growth. It’s also a great place to meet other testers who are happy to answer questions.
QA Utah Slack
One of the hardest parts of learning QA is figuring things out when you’re stuck.
That’s where community becomes incredibly valuable.
QA Utah has a Slack workspace where testers ask questions, share resources, discuss tools, and generally help each other out. Whether you’re brand new or have been testing for years, it’s a great place to ask questions without feeling like you’re bothering someone.
And if you’re experienced, come help answer questions. Someone else is where you were a few years ago.
Udemy
I’ve bought… honestly, definitely too many Udemy courses over the years.
Some have been fantastic. Some… not so much.
The one I recommend over and over is The Complete Web Development Bootcamp. It was one of the first courses where programming finally started to make sense to me. It starts from the absolute basics and builds up naturally instead of assuming you already know everything.
Also, don’t pay full price. Udemy has sales constantly.
Codecademy
I still have a Codecademy subscription.
What I like about it is that you’re writing code the entire time instead of just watching videos. Whenever I realize I’ve gotten rusty with SQL or want to learn a new language, it’s usually one of the first places I go.
This one surprises people.
Some of the best things I’ve learned didn’t come from a course. They came from another QA engineer sharing something they learned.
If I’m trying to learn a new tool or understand a concept better, I’ll often make a LinkedIn post asking for recommendations. The QA community is ridiculously generous with their knowledge, and I’ve found books, courses, YouTube channels, Discord servers, blogs, and mentors simply by asking.
Don’t underestimate your network.
One Last Thing
If I could go back and give myself one piece of advice when I was trying to break into QA, it would be this:
Stop worrying so much about finding the perfect resource.
I spent a lot of time wondering if I should learn Java before Python, Selenium before Cypress, Postman before SQL, or whether I was studying the “right” thing.
It turns out the best resource is usually whichever one keeps you learning. Pick something. Stick with it for a while. Build something. Break something. Ask questions. Repeat.
That’s honestly how most of us got here.
