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Technology · Analyzing & Problem-solving

Software tester: what the job actually is

Trying to break software on purpose, so that the people who use it do not find the problems first.

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Software tester: quick facts

Software tester salary in Ontario: the median pay is $37.98 an hour, according to Job Bank (reference period 2023-2024). Its three-year outlook in Ontario is limited. The job usually needs a college diploma, or an apprenticeship of two or more years.

Median pay in Ontario
$37.98 an hour
Pay range (low to high)
$22.50 to $51.28 an hour
Job outlook, 2025-2027
Limited
People working in it in Ontario
11,000
Usually needs
Usually a college diploma, or an apprenticeship of two or more years

Source: Job Bank wages (updated 19 November 2025) and job prospects (updated 10 December 2025), NOC 22222. Pay varies by region and experience.

The work

What this job actually is

  • Checking that software does what it should and finding where it does not, before it reaches the people it was built for.
  • Job Bank's group is information systems testing technicians. Most of this is in software companies, banks and insurers, and some of it is in video game development.
  • Part of the work is following a written test plan step by step and recording what happened. Part is exploring: clicking in odd orders, entering strange input, and noticing what looks wrong.
  • Part of it is writing the bug report. A report that says 'it broke' is useless; one that says exactly how to make it happen is gold to the developer.
  • Some testers write automated tests, which means learning to program. Others do mostly manual testing. Which one you do depends on the employer.

A Tuesday

What a normal day looks like

Not a good day or a bad one. The ordinary version, which is what you would actually be living.

  1. 8:45 — Check the test results from the overnight run. Three failures. One is real.
  2. 9:15 — Reproduce the real one. It only happens when you press back after saving, so you write that down exactly.
  3. 9:45 — File the bug with steps, what you expected and what happened. Add a screenshot.
  4. 10:30 — Stand-up with the developers. They ask if the bug is serious. You have to decide what 'serious' means.
  5. 11:15 — Test a new feature against its requirements. It works. Now try to break it.
  6. 12:15 — Lunch.
  7. 13:00 — Retest a fix. The developer says it is done. It is not quite.
  8. 14:30 — Update the test cases, because the feature changed and the old script is now wrong.
  9. 15:30 — Explore the app on a phone you are not used to. A button sits off the screen.
  10. 16:30 — Write the end-of-day summary: what was tested, what failed, what is blocked.

Honestly

Who loves this, and who should not do it

The second list is the useful one. Nearly every careers page leaves it out, which is why nearly every careers page reads like an advert.

You may like this if
  • You were the kid who tried the cheat code, the odd button order, the thing the designer did not expect.
  • You are methodical enough to repeat a problem until you can describe exactly how to make it happen.
  • You like being useful by finding what is wrong rather than building what is right.
  • You can tell a developer their code has a problem without making an enemy.
  • You are curious about how software is made and are happy to learn some programming.
You may hate this if
  • You want to be the one building things. Testing is about the gaps, and the credit goes to whoever shipped.
  • You dislike repetition. Re-running the same checks is part of the work, though automation takes some of it.
  • You do not like being the bearer of bad news before a deadline. Nobody cheers when you find the bug on release day.
  • You need a hot job market. Job Bank rates the Ontario outlook as Limited, and says employment decline will cost some positions with few openings from retirements.
  • You get annoyed when a bug you reported is closed as 'cannot reproduce'.

The route in

How you actually get there in Ontario

  1. Finish high school with maths and computing if you can

    Job Bank's page says a college programme in computer science, computer programming or network administration is usually required for this group, so that is the direction to prepare for.

  2. Take a college programme that includes programming and testing

    ontariocolleges.ca lists computer systems and engineering technology programmes, whose pages mention programming, operating systems and networking. Read each college's own page for whether testing is a named subject.

  3. Get a first testing job or co-op

    Testing is a common first step into software work. Look for co-op and entry-level quality assurance roles, and keep a small portfolio of well-written bug reports.

  4. Learn some code

    The more you can write simple scripts, the more kinds of testing you can do. Job Bank says vendor-provided software certification or training may be required by some employers.

  5. Consider ISTQB later, if employers ask

    ISTQB describes its Foundation Level certification as essential testing knowledge, and its page does not state formal prerequisites. Job Bank says the occupation is not regulated in Ontario, so this is optional.

Where this comes from: Job Bank — Requirements for information systems testing technicians in Ontario · ISTQB — Certified Tester Foundation Level · ontariocolleges.ca — Computer - Systems / Engineering Tech programs

The money

Software tester salary in Ontario

Job Bank's own figures, quoted rather than summarised, with the period they describe — so you can tell how old they are and go and check them.

$22.50
Low (hourly)
$37.98
Median (hourly)
$51.28
High (hourly)

Ontario, NOC 22222. Reference period 2023-2024, last updated by Job Bank on 19 November 2025. Wages vary a lot by region inside Ontario and by how long you have been doing it — the low figure is roughly where you start, not what the job is worth.

Source: Job Bank — Software tester wages in Ontario

Where it is heading

The outlook for the next three years

Job Bank publishes a three-year outlook for every job in every province. It is the closest thing to an honest forecast, and it moves, so read it as a weather report rather than a verdict.

Ontario, 2025-2027

Limited2 out of 5 stars

  • Employment decline will lead to the loss of some positions.
  • Not many positions will become available due to retirements.

What that rating means: how many openings Job Bank expects in Ontario for this kind of work against how many people are likely to be looking — not whether it is a good job. A “limited” rating means more competition for each opening; it does not close the door, and it can change before you are ready to walk through it.

What is changing in this work

  • The extensive use of advanced digital tools across all industries will continue to create job opportunities
  • However, the pace of job growth may be affected by recent restructuring in the technology sector, including the video game industry

Who hires for it

  • Various industries, but the leading share employed in computer systems design and related services, which include video game design and development
  • Finance and insurance companies
11,000
people work in this job in Ontario
42%
are women (48% across all jobs)
11%
are self-employed (15% across all jobs)

Source: Job Bank — Information systems testing technicians job prospects in Ontario (NOC 22222). Outlook updated by Job Bank on 10 December 2025; read by us on 5 October 2026.

Before you leave school

Things you can do now

  • Play or use something, then deliberately try to break it. Write down what you did, in order, so someone else could repeat it.
  • Take computer science and learn at least one language well enough to write a small program that checks itself.
  • Offer to test a classmate's project. Give them feedback with steps, not 'it's bad'.
  • Ask about a co-op placement at a software company, and ask specifically to sit with the quality assurance people.

Test it

Do this before you decide anything

Reading about a job tells you almost nothing. This is designed to be done alone, this week, for free.

File three bug reports someone could actually use

About 60 minutes
  1. Pick a free app or website you use. Spend twenty minutes trying odd things: empty fields, very long text, going back at strange moments, rotating your phone.
  2. When something looks wrong, stop. Write the steps to make it happen again, what you expected and what happened.
  3. Hand the steps to a friend and ask them to repeat the problem using only your words. Rewrite anything they got stuck on.
  4. Write down how it felt: was finding the problem satisfying, or did the repeating and writing wear you out?

What it tells you. If you got a small thrill from the break and cared about the clean steps, testing could fit well. If you only liked the fixing, programming may suit you better. If you found the writing-it-down part tedious, that is the job's main task and worth taking seriously.

Better than any article

Questions for somebody who does this job

Most people say yes to a teenager who asks good questions. These are the ones that get real answers rather than encouragement.

  1. “How much of your testing is manual and how much is automated?”
  2. “What makes a bug report good?”
  3. “How do you decide whether a bug is serious enough to delay a release?”
  4. “Did you need to learn to code, and when?”
  5. “How do you handle a developer who disagrees that it is a bug?”
  6. “Where do testers go next in their careers?”

Could you own one of these?

The part other career sites never mention

Sometimes, as a freelance or contract tester or a small testing consultancy. Job Bank's figures show some people in this group are self-employed. It is hard to start with no track record, because clients want references, so most people get experience as employees first.

Business 101 is free and teaches that part

Quick answers

Questions people ask about this job

How much does a software tester make in Ontario?

The median pay for a software tester in Ontario is $37.98 an hour, according to Job Bank (reference period 2023-2024, updated 19 November 2025). The range Job Bank publishes runs from $22.50 to $51.28 an hour. Pay varies by region, employer and experience.

What is the job outlook for a software tester in Ontario?

Job Bank rates the employment outlook for this work in Ontario as limited for 2025-2027 (updated 10 December 2025). Employment decline will lead to the loss of some positions. Not many positions will become available due to retirements. A lower rating means more competition for each opening, not that no one is hiring.

What do you need to become a software tester in Ontario?

Job Bank says this work usually needs a college diploma, or an apprenticeship of two or more years. The usual route in Ontario, in order: Finish high school with maths and computing if you can; Take a college programme that includes programming and testing; Get a first testing job or co-op.

Where does a software tester work in Ontario?

Various industries, but the leading share employed in computer systems design and related services, which include video game design and development. Finance and insurance companies. (Job Bank.)

How many people work as a software tester in Ontario, and how many are women?

Job Bank counts about 11,000 people working in this job in Ontario. 42% of them are women, compared with 48% across all jobs. That describes who does the work today, not who can.

Tech and engineering jobs: who is hiring What can you do with your degree?

Not sure this is the right list to be reading

Start from yourself, not from the job.

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Parent of a teenager weighing this up? Career coaching for teens gets them talking to people who do the work, anywhere in Ontario.

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Wages and training requirements change. Every figure on this page is linked to the body that publishes it, and the review date above says when we last checked. If you find something out of date, tell us and we will fix it.