Software Development Engineer in Test: The chilling truth behind the SDET acronym!
I’ve been working as a “Software Design Engineer in Test/QA Engineer/White Box QA” for about 4 months now and I keep getting asked the the following question:
What does SDET mean?
Let’s learn more about this mysterious acronym SDET.
First up… the quick Microsoft definition:
A Software Design Engineer in Test is a developer who designs, develops, and maintains automation systems and often expandable suites containing multiple automation programs to be used by the development and test teams. They are responsible for utilizing innovative test technologies to develop a product’s testing strategy, and for facilitating the creation and execution of automated test suites across a diverse set of technologies.
What does that mean in plain english though? AdamU’s summary helps us out there:
You can envision the SDET job in two vectors, one in feature work, another in tools work. We have a product to test, and we need to eliminate defects, so we spend time in both proactive and reactive activities to help PMs specify the right thing, as well as validating what it is that our SDE counterparts built. What’s the difference between SDE and SDET at microsoft?
Now know everything you ever wanted to know about the SDET position. Ok, perhaps not everything, but it’s a start.
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