DEV Community

Shri Nithi
Shri Nithi

Posted on

SDET Career Reality Check: Salaries, Skills & Growth Path in 2025

Hey devs! ๐Ÿ‘‹
Been thinking about transitioning to SDET? Or maybe you're curious about what SDETs actually do beyond "testing stuff"? I recently deep-dived into this topic after reading an insightful guide from TestLeaf - SDET Role, Responsibilities, and Salary Comparison, and here's my breakdown of the SDET landscape.
What Actually Is an SDET? ๐Ÿค”
Forget the "tester who codes" stereotype. SDETs are hybrid engineers who:

Build automation frameworks from scratch
Integrate testing into CI/CD pipelines
Debug performance bottlenecks
Collaborate directly with dev teams on architecture decisions

It's essentially software engineering with a quality-first mindset.
The Salary Reality ๐Ÿ’ฐ
Here's the data that caught my attention:
India ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ณ

Junior: โ‚น5-7 LPA
Mid-level: โ‚น8-15 LPA
Senior: โ‚น20+ LPA

US ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ

Junior: $70K-90K
Mid-level: $100K-120K
Senior: $150K+

UK ๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง

Junior: ยฃ30K-40K
Mid-level: ยฃ50K-70K
Senior: ยฃ80K-100K

My Take on Career Progression ๐Ÿ“ˆ
What I love about the SDET path is the vertical growth:

SDET โ†’ Lead SDET โ†’ Test Architect โ†’ Director of Quality Engineering

Each level adds strategic thinking to technical execution. You're not just automating tests; you're architecting quality systems.
Skills That Actually Matter ๐Ÿ› ๏ธ
From what I've observed:

Programming: Java/Python/C# (obviously)
DevOps mindset: CI/CD, containerization
Performance testing: Beyond functional automation
Communication: You're bridging dev and QA teams

Getting Started ๐ŸŽฏ
If you're considering this path, upskilling through a software testing course in chennai or exploring software testing course online options can provide structured learning. But honestly, hands-on practice with automation frameworks is where you'll learn the most.

Bottom Line
SDET roles are exploding because companies finally understand that quality isn't just a phaseโ€”it's a culture. The blend of development skills with testing mindset creates unique value that's hard to replicate.
What's your experience with SDET roles? Drop your thoughts below!

Top comments (0)