  As software systems are becoming more pervasive, they are also becoming more
susceptible to failures, resulting in potentially lethal combinations. Software
testing is critical to preventing software failures but is, arguably, the least
understood part of the software life cycle and the toughest to perform
correctly. Adequate research has been carried out in both the process and
technology dimensions of testing, but not in the human dimensions. This paper
attempts to fill in the gap by exploring the human dimension, i.e., trying to
understand the motivation of software professionals to take up and sustain
testing careers. Towards that end, a survey was conducted in four countries -
India, Canada, Cuba, and China - to try to understand how professional software
testers perceive and value work-related factors that could influence their
motivation to take up and sustain testing careers. With a sample of 220
software professionals, we observed that very few professionals are keen to
take up testing careers. Some aspects of software testing, such as the learning
opportunities, appear to be a common motivator across the four countries;
whereas the treatment meted out to testers as second-class citizens and the
complexity of the job appeared to be the most important de-motivators. This
comparative study offers useful insights that can help global software industry
leaders to come up with an action plan to put the software testing profession
under a new light. That could increase the number of software engineers
choosing testing careers, which would facilitate quality testing.
