Why Manual testing isn’t going away

There’s a lot of fear among fellow testers about losing their jobs due to Automation.

This is not true, yes there are plenty of automation testing jobs, but that’s just another tool in your toolbox. I think it would be helpful to learn automation, just like learning AI, it won’t replace your job but the people that know how to use the “tool” might. It doesn’t mean you need to fear it. Manual testing will always be on demand, and now with remote jobs being more common than ever, there are plenty of companies that still require manual testing.

Look into Functionality Testing, User Experience or Usability testing, Accessibility Testing, Performance Testing to name a few, none of the above require Automation skills but if you do know how to code you can certainly implement those skills into it, but again its a bonus not mandatory.

I have worked with both and when I did automation, most of the errors and fails were all due to Automation, the script failed somewhere, I missed a semi colon somewhere or a line of code was written wong, it was always something that had nothing to do with the app or website. I found it very frustrating to use automation because it would take an hour to fix the script when I could’ve tested the same thing manually in 5 minutes. If I liked coding I would’ve become a developer so I decided, leave the coding to the pros and I’ll do what I do best, which is test (break it, not make it).

Now for long repetitive tasks, yes it helps a lot. For creating data it definitely helps, for regression testing, yes it can save some time, but for checking a page for the first time and trying to find defects like entering incorrect info, clicking where you’re not supposed to, finding invisible hotspots, error suggestions, required fields, pop ups, modals, dropdowns, date pickers, clear all functionality, loading screens, captcha, etc. It’s better to do it manually. A manual tester is a detective, automation is like a hero with powers, but what good are powers if you don’t know where or how to use them?

So my advice is if you like to code or want to learn, go for it. You can never do wrong by knowing more, the more skills on your resume, the better and of course more job opportunities; BUT if you’re like hundreds of testers out there who love testing but don’t really enjoy programming.. then don’t worry, know you are not alone and there are still plenty of manual testing jobs out there. Just specialize in one area to make it easier, example: Become an Accessibility tester, or a Performance Tester, or Functionality Tester. Luckily some recruiters have figured out Automation testing is its own thing and type that as the job title which is great, unfortunately not all do that, I have actually searched for “Manual Tester” positions in Linkedin and then the requirements list “automation skills”, so its a hit or miss sometimes but that is HR error (or whoever posted the job description and title), but if you focus in an area of testing that does not require automation and become an expert in that area, you will find a job and a good paying one. I would rather hire a good experienced manual tester for my team, than a Jr. automation tester.