What is a QA Engineer / Test Engineer ? | SDET Roadmap, Salary, AI vs Testing & Career Scope

Ever wondered what it’s really like to be a QA Engineer or SDET (Software Development Engineer in Test)? In this episode of The Unplanned Podcast, we sit down with a seasoned QA professional who shares their journey, insights, and the evolving future of software testing. Whether you’re a student, beginner, or software developer considering a shift to QA/SDET roles, this episode gives you: ✅ A complete SDET career roadmap ✅ The creative side of QA: balancing between Development & Deployment ✅ Must-have skills, tools, and mindset for 2025 and beyond ✅ Insight into testing as a career – and why it’s more important than ever ✅ Job tips for cracking QA/SDET roles ⸻ 🎯 GUEST DETAILS 📇 LinkedIn Profile:   / sindhuja-cs   🔍 Real-life journey from an Intern to becoming a key player in Quality Engineering! ⸻ 🧠 More from The Unplanned Podcast 🎧 Podcast Playlist:    • The Unplanned Podcast   Catch all our inspiring stories from engineers, designers, product experts, and more. ⸻ 📚 Free Learning Resources 💻 DSA Playlist:    • Data Structures and Algorithms in Malayala...   🌍 Build a Strong Profile :    • Build a Strong Profile   🧩 Blind 75 Challenge Playlist:    • TwoSum - LeetCode 1 - #Python | Malayalam ...   🚀 Master DSA, crack product-based companies, and level up your problem-solving skills. ⸻ 👥 Join Our Tech Community 🚀 Connect, learn, and grow with fellow devs & testers. Join now: https://nas.io/wecodecommunity ⸻ 📸 Follow Us on Instagram 🔗 Instagram:   / wecodemalayalam   Behind the scenes, updates, and tech reels you don’t want to miss. ⸻ 🌍 For Malayalam Speakers QA Engineer ആകാൻ ആഗ്രഹിക്കുന്നോ? ഈ എപ്പിസോഡിൽ QA എന്നത് എന്താണ്, SDET ആയി തുടങ്ങാനുള്ള റോഡ്‌മാപ്പ്, ഫ്രഷേഴ്സിനുള്ള ശമ്പളം, AI പ്രവൃത്തികളെ എങ്ങനെ ബാധിക്കുന്നു, QA യുടെ ഭാവി എന്നിവ വിശദമായി പറഞ്ഞിരിക്കുന്നു. ✅ QA / SDET മേഖലയിൽ പ്രവേശിക്കാനാഗ്രഹിക്കുന്ന എല്ലാവർക്കും ഉപകാരപ്രദമായ എപ്പിസോഡ്! QA, SDET, Testing Roles, Career Growth എന്നിവയെക്കുറിച്ച് മനസ്സിലാക്കാന്‍ ആഗ്രഹിക്കുന്നവര്‍ക്ക് ഈ എപ്പിസോഡ് വളരെയധികം ഉപകരിക്കും. മറ്റ് മലയാളം ടെക് ഓഡിയോ-വിസ്വല്‍ കാന്റന്റുകള്‍ക്കും പാസ് ചെയ്യൂ 👉 #MalayalamTech #theunplannedpodcast ⸻ 🔖 Timestamps (optional - add once the video is live) 0:00 - Intro 1:14 - About Sindhuja 2:30 - School Life 4:22 - Computer Science in School changed life 7:52 - Choosing a College & Course 9:42 - College Life - Truth about studies 11:55 - Placement Preperation 12:39 - Hackathons saved me !! 13:50 - How I will start again in college ? 14:33 - WeCode Student Clubs 15:18 - Interview Preperation 17:48 - Importance of Degree & College 22:30 - Internship & Placement 23:56 - CGPA cut off ?? 25:10 - Hackathons lead to placement. 26:02 - Life at TiVo 26:47 - DSA & Learning in Work 29:22 - Scam Internships (What is internship?) 31:03 - Interns get better job chance 32:00 - Work Life in Big Companies 35:00 - Ask Questions and Learn More 36:00 - Goal in your Career 37:47 - What is SDET/QA/TESTER ? 39:50 - Tools & Tech Stack 40:59 - No Coding in QA? 43:10 - AI 's effect in QA 44:28 - SDET (software development engineer in Test) 45:10 - Coding & System Design 46:18 - Salary for Freshers 47:00 - Roadmap to SDET/QA 49:00 - Special Advice 52:16 - Secret Spoilers !! 53:50 - Conclusion ⸻ 🧠 Keywords (to help SEO) QA Engineer Malayalam, SDET Roadmap 2025, Software Testing Career, Future of QA, Malayalam tech podcast, Unplanned Podcast, Blind 75 Malayalam, DSA for beginners, QA Career Path