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

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🎯 GUEST DETAILS

📇 LinkedIn Profile:   / sindhuja-cs  
🔍 Real-life journey from an Intern to becoming a key player in Quality Engineering!

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🧠 More from The Unplanned Podcast

🎧 Podcast Playlist:    • The Unplanned Podcast  
Catch all our inspiring stories from engineers, designers, product experts, and more.

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📚 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.

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🚀 Connect, learn, and grow with fellow devs & testers.
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Behind the scenes, updates, and tech reels you don’t want to miss.

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🌍 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

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🔖 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

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🧠 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