Editor’s note: This article was first published in February 2011. The market data are from that month, including the spending figure on software testing and the expected 30% growth in outsourcing.
Since one of the big business opportunities lies in software development and programming, this industry has given rise to a parallel business that is just as profitable: software testing.
By software testing we mean the work of ensuring the quality of a piece of software by minimising its defects before it goes into use. Companies usually outsource this task to external firms or professionals, who can be more objective.
Big brands and small software developers alike agree that software has to be “tested” before it goes on sale. In fact, these companies are currently spending close to 80,000 million euros (80 billion) on software testing, and this outsourcing is expected to grow by 30%. So we’re talking about one of the profitable businesses that have sprung up around software development.
Nowadays it’s hard to understand how a computer science graduate can be out of work or unable to set up their own “small” company or business, since there is demand for all kinds of services in this sector. The most saturated is the “home IT guy” (formatting computers, installing software for businesses and so on).
You need to specialise in something, and software testing could be one of the great business ideas to give you the returns you’re after with your computer skills.
Further reading
- The most profitable business ideas (part 1)
- The most profitable business ideas (part 2)
- How to start a business with no money
- How to find business ideas
Featured image: Markus Spiske markusspiske, CC0 1.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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