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It used to be a lot easier to build a software testing career. That was yesterday, when expectations about testing were shared across the industry. 

Of course there were variations. Not every workplace had a dedicated team of skilled testers and not every piece of software was tested with the same degree of rigor. But fundamentally, most software creators and integrators agreed that all software needed to be tested before release and that the more highly skilled testers doing the work, the better.

Now, software daily increases its hold on the world, and we continually devise different ways to create and implement it, as well as embracing sophisticated tools for assisting every stage of the process. There is no longer a robust dominant paradigm of software testing. Our expectations of howto test, when to test, who should test—even whether we need to test at all—keep changing with new methods and technology.

Contemporary software is staggeringly varied, from simple risk-free apps pitched to a wide consumer base to increasingly complex systems that could kill people, like those operating autonomous cars.

How we deal with this exciting and ever-changing world has major implications for every tester and indeed for the world: in the value we can bring to projects and teams, but also in how we manage our careers, how we train up and coming testers, what skills we learn and teach.

How will you multiply your odds for thriving as a software tester? Join Fiona Charles to explore the possibilities in this world of many paradigms.