Clearing a career path for software testers

Although effective testing is a critical necessity to successfully produce reliable and dependable software systems, there are few guidelines or forma l criteria to determine whether an individual is qualified or has the poten tial to become an effective software tester At AT&T, the authors are develo ping a program to certify software testers by defining a career path that a software tester can follow in going from trainee to certified software res t engineer to software testing specialist.