Yes yes yes - this is one of the most useful courses you will ever do imo. Most importantly, after you've done it try and put as much of it into practice as possible (but don't get too frustrated when you can't).
Having been a QA for 5 years now I can tell you that you don't
need BCS/ISTQB at all - in fact it is seen, by a lot of testers I speak to, as a bit redundant and out of date now
Yes, learning a language and learning how to write automated tests would be great - good Automated Testers/Software Engineers in Test are like rocking horse poo - but it is, again, not essential to the role
My colleague has been testing for 9 years now and he has no interested in learning back end processes or testing code - where as I like to understand and see the code before I test something.
If you like testing App's etc, look at becoming a Mobile Device tester - so look into different emulators or testing platforms or look at the differences in developing Android and iOS apps. But you dont have to go in too deep and become half a developer to do your job. Knowing the client base is more important (imo) if you are testing a public facing app
I can read C++, I understand XML and I am quite good on SQL (querying DB's etc) but all this I have picked up on the job.
There are so many different types of tester - exploratory and manual (which sounds like what you are doing), automation etc and different types of areas to test - code, app, front end etc. I would say I am exploratory and manual and I am more than happy testing code and front end applications. But I would like to learn more about Mobile Testing
Best advice to you would be to sit with the Dev's (if you get chance) and look at them creating the next version of the app that you will have to test, or a bug which will have to be tested. Learning how things hook together and how things are created will help you understand how stuff could go wrong, and that will benefit your testing
Where about's do you live? Here in Manchester there are lots of 'Tester Gatherings' via Meetup where QA's from all over gather together to talk about stuff etc. If you can get along to one of those and speak to people doing the job you will get a better idea of which direction you want to head in.
Also, I 'fell' into testing. No qualifications, nothing on my CV regarding IT or anything like that. The company I worked for at the time needed someone who had lots of knowledge of the company (I was a Staff Training Manager at the time) to look at a web site and compare it to the companies own. I spent a few days pulling this site apart and after that the IT Director wanted me to work with the other Tester in the company and offered me a job.
EDIT:
At the moment I currently test the software looking for bugs and have to report them back to the devs. The only way I can explain it is that I test the app before it goes to BETA release. This is something I enjoy so there's no coding involved at all. I know that there are jobs out there that do this similar role. Not sure is this is more UAT testing or something.
Just need to know what I need to know before ending my current IT role.
Thanks for the advice so far.
I would say you have a good start to become a general tester for mobile applications. The key thing really is to understand who the target audience is for the application and the company which the app is for.
I went from working as a tester for a car hire broker to working as a QA for a hotel booking web site - both are travel and both were for the general populations consumption. Knowing the industry and understanding the customer and some of the crazy stuff clients actually do, rather than what they are supposed to do, makes for a great tester.
