“Don’t take our jobs !”
“I want to code, you can’t stop me !”
“Automation isn’t meant to be easy – that’s why you need me !”
In the same way that in some parts of the United States, idiots are banned from voting ( see Kentucky), perhaps it’s time to ban coders from test automation. Coded test automation is slow to create, is horrible to fix when the application under test changes and is limited to a bunch of high-price, difficult-to-find folk.
So is this another job that has gone the same way as the dodo, VCR machines, and travel alarm clocks?
Sure, why would we continue something that has a lousy ROI when there is a much better way to achieve the same result? But before we see riots on the streets of our cities, let’s stop and think …
The skills that many of these folk have are precisely what you need to make a success of any automation initiative. Deciding what to automate and how to structure your automation assets is a valuable skill set. Enhance those skills with a better knowledge of the business you serve, and you have a role that can make a significantly positive impact on that business.
It’s just that you don’t need to code.
