Career Overlap Transition record
RecordMove

ICT system tester to software tester

An ICT system tester already meets 44% of what the software tester role asks for. The move turns on 3 required skills not yet in the profile.

Fig. 1 · Skill transfer ESCO v1.2.1 · directional
From ICT system tester
44 % overlap
Partial match
To software tester
30 You already bring
3 Still to learn
80 Skills in the target role2
Learning distance Substantial retraining

65.6/ 100

1 How much of what a software tester is expected to do is already part of an ICT system tester’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the software tester role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.

Why

Why this move works

A software tester role treats 7 of its required skills as things an ICT system tester already does. You would walk in with these on day one.

  • address problems critically
  • execute software tests
  • levels of software testing
  • provide software testing documentation
  • replicate customer software issues
  • report test findings

What stands in the way is 3 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.

Table 2

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 30 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A software tester role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an ICT system tester background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area
  • already held perform software recovery testing working with computers
  • already held execute integration testing working with computers
  • already held replicate customer software issues working with computers
  • already held develop automated software tests communication, collaboration and creativity
  • already held provide software testing documentation communication, collaboration and creativity
  • already held develop ICT test suite communication, collaboration and creativity

All 30 carried skills, including the 7 the software tester role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 50 missing skills fall into 4 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.

Skill to pick up Tier
01 information and communication technologies (icts) 2 required, 45 supplementary
  • still to learn software architecture models required
  • still to learn software metrics required
  • optional, not held ABAP optional
  • optional, not held AJAX optional
  • optional, not held APL optional
  • optional, not held ASP.NET optional
  • optional, not held Assembly (computer programming) optional
  • optional, not held C# optional
  • optional, not held C++ optional
  • optional, not held COBOL optional
  • optional, not held CoffeeScript optional
  • optional, not held Common Lisp optional
  • optional, not held Erlang optional
  • optional, not held Groovy optional
  • optional, not held Haskell optional
  • optional, not held ICT performance analysis methods optional
  • optional, not held Java (computer programming) optional
  • optional, not held JavaScript optional
  • optional, not held Lisp optional
  • optional, not held MATLAB optional
  • optional, not held ML (computer programming) optional
  • optional, not held Microsoft Visual C++ optional
  • optional, not held Objective-C optional
  • optional, not held OpenEdge Advanced Business Language optional
  • optional, not held PHP optional
  • optional, not held Pascal (computer programming) optional
  • optional, not held Perl optional
  • optional, not held Prolog (computer programming) optional
  • optional, not held Python (computer programming) optional
  • optional, not held R optional
  • optional, not held Ruby (computer programming) optional
  • optional, not held SAP R3 optional
  • optional, not held SAS language optional
  • optional, not held Scala optional
  • optional, not held Scratch (computer programming) optional
  • optional, not held Smalltalk (computer programming) optional
  • optional, not held Swift (computer programming) optional
  • optional, not held TypeScript optional
  • optional, not held VBScript optional
  • optional, not held Visual Basic optional
  • optional, not held application usability optional
  • optional, not held software components libraries optional
  • optional, not held trading software optional
  • optional, not held unstructured data optional
  • optional, not held computer programming optional
  • optional, not held digital systems optional
  • optional, not held hardware components optional
02 working with computers 1 required
  • still to learn perform software unit testing required
03 business, administration and law 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held audit techniques optional
04 management skills 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held plan software testing optional
Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a software tester role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.

Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.

Appendix

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 30 skills that carry over
Skill Type
  • already held address problems critically skill
  • already held execute software tests skill
  • already held levels of software testing knowledge
  • already held provide software testing documentation skill
  • already held replicate customer software issues skill
  • already held report test findings skill
  • already held software anomalies knowledge
  • already held Agile project management knowledge
  • already held ICT debugging tools knowledge
  • already held ICT project management methodologies knowledge
  • already held LDAP knowledge
  • already held LINQ knowledge
  • already held MDX knowledge
  • already held N1QL knowledge
  • already held Process-based management knowledge
  • already held SPARQL knowledge
  • already held XQuery knowledge
  • already held conduct ICT code review skill
  • already held debug software skill
  • already held develop ICT test suite skill
  • already held develop automated software tests skill
  • already held execute integration testing skill
  • already held lean project management knowledge
  • already held manage schedule of tasks skill
  • already held measure software usability skill
  • already held perform software recovery testing skill
  • already held query languages knowledge
  • already held resource description framework query language knowledge
  • already held tools for ICT test automation knowledge
  • already held use scripting programming skill
47 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
Skill to pick up Tier
  • optional, not held ABAP optional
  • optional, not held AJAX optional
  • optional, not held APL optional
  • optional, not held ASP.NET optional
  • optional, not held Assembly (computer programming) optional
  • optional, not held C# optional
  • optional, not held C++ optional
  • optional, not held COBOL optional
  • optional, not held CoffeeScript optional
  • optional, not held Common Lisp optional
  • optional, not held Erlang optional
  • optional, not held Groovy optional
  • optional, not held Haskell optional
  • optional, not held ICT performance analysis methods optional
  • optional, not held Java (computer programming) optional
  • optional, not held JavaScript optional
  • optional, not held Lisp optional
  • optional, not held MATLAB optional
  • optional, not held ML (computer programming) optional
  • optional, not held Microsoft Visual C++ optional
  • optional, not held Objective-C optional
  • optional, not held OpenEdge Advanced Business Language optional
  • optional, not held PHP optional
  • optional, not held Pascal (computer programming) optional
  • optional, not held Perl optional
  • optional, not held Prolog (computer programming) optional
  • optional, not held Python (computer programming) optional
  • optional, not held R optional
  • optional, not held Ruby (computer programming) optional
  • optional, not held SAP R3 optional
  • optional, not held SAS language optional
  • optional, not held Scala optional
  • optional, not held Scratch (computer programming) optional
  • optional, not held Smalltalk (computer programming) optional
  • optional, not held Swift (computer programming) optional
  • optional, not held TypeScript optional
  • optional, not held VBScript optional
  • optional, not held Visual Basic optional
  • optional, not held application usability optional
  • optional, not held plan software testing optional

7 further entries not listed here

12 held skills the software tester role does not ask for
Skill Type
  • not needed by the target role ICT network simulation knowledge
  • not needed by the target role ICT system integration knowledge
  • not needed by the target role ICT system programming knowledge
  • not needed by the target role apply ICT systems theory skill
  • not needed by the target role attack vectors knowledge
  • not needed by the target role give live presentation skill
  • not needed by the target role identify ICT system weaknesses skill
  • not needed by the target role manage system testing skill
  • not needed by the target role monitor system performance skill
  • not needed by the target role perform ICT security testing skill
  • not needed by the target role solve ICT system problems skill
  • not needed by the target role systems theory knowledge
48 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice

Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.

Skill to pick up Tier
  • still to learn software architecture models required
  • still to learn software metrics required
  • optional, not held ABAP optional
  • optional, not held AJAX optional
  • optional, not held APL optional
  • optional, not held ASP.NET optional
  • optional, not held Assembly (computer programming) optional
  • optional, not held C# optional
  • optional, not held C++ optional
  • optional, not held COBOL optional
  • optional, not held CoffeeScript optional
  • optional, not held Common Lisp optional
  • optional, not held Erlang optional
  • optional, not held Groovy optional
  • optional, not held Haskell optional
  • optional, not held ICT performance analysis methods optional
  • optional, not held Java (computer programming) optional
  • optional, not held JavaScript optional
  • optional, not held Lisp optional
  • optional, not held MATLAB optional
  • optional, not held ML (computer programming) optional
  • optional, not held Microsoft Visual C++ optional
  • optional, not held Objective-C optional
  • optional, not held OpenEdge Advanced Business Language optional
  • optional, not held PHP optional
  • optional, not held Pascal (computer programming) optional
  • optional, not held Perl optional
  • optional, not held Prolog (computer programming) optional
  • optional, not held Python (computer programming) optional
  • optional, not held R optional
  • optional, not held Ruby (computer programming) optional
  • optional, not held SAP R3 optional
  • optional, not held SAS language optional
  • optional, not held Scala optional
  • optional, not held Scratch (computer programming) optional
  • optional, not held Smalltalk (computer programming) optional
  • optional, not held Swift (computer programming) optional
  • optional, not held TypeScript optional
  • optional, not held VBScript optional
  • optional, not held Visual Basic optional

8 further entries not listed here

Index

Other moves recorded from ICT system tester

Full index of moves from ICT system tester

FAQ

Common questions about this move

Can an ICT system tester become a software tester?

Yes, and it is a substantial move. An ICT system tester already covers 44% of what a software tester is expected to do: 30 skills carry over, 7 of which the software tester role treats as required.

What skills does an ICT system tester need to become a software tester?

3 required skills are missing, plus 47 optional ones. They fall into 4 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information and communication technologies (icts). The single most important is perform software unit testing.

How hard is the move from ICT system tester to software tester?

Its learning distance is 65.6 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.

Note

How this record was compiled

Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.