Anyone working in IT knows one thing for sure: your role may change, your project may change, your team may change, but the need for continuous learning never does. Here’s a simple test: open LinkedIn, scroll through your feed, and count how many posts feature your connections sharing their latest certificates. I have fewer than 500 contacts, with about 50% not in IT, yet I found five posts about certifications. So, whether you're a QA engineer or a QA leader, you're always learning something new. In this article, we're sharing a list of the most useful and popular courses for testers and QA leaders.
This program covers such topics as black-box and white-box testing, automated testing, and web and mobile testing using Selenium. In 95 hours, you’ll learn to distinguish between verification and validation, write automated tests for both front-end and back-end code, and apply formal methods like model checking. You'll also explore cutting-edge automated analysis techniques to ensure your software is free from common defects. Throughout the specialization, you'll build test plans, create automated test suites, and generate test analysis reports to solidify your understanding and practical skills.
⏰ Duration: 2 months at 10 hours a week (95 hours)
💰 Price: $49 per month within the Coursera subscription
🌟 Recommended experience: Intermediate level. Experience with an object-oriented programming language (preferably Java) and the ability to install and run an IDE (Eclipse recommended).
🥇 Certificate: Yes
🧠 Skills you will gain:
- Testing theory
- Writing tests
- Developing test plans
- Creating defect reports
- Evaluating testability of requirements
- Unit testing
- Test automation
- Static analysis
- White-box testing techniques
- Black-box testing techniques
Leveraging real-world case studies from Harvard Business Publishing and practical projects from KPMG India, this certification provides hands-on experience in Lean Six Sigma. Participants will benefit from exclusive modules on AI trends, live expert-led sessions, and a comprehensive curriculum covering Lean Six Sigma Green Belt and Black Belt certification.
This program offers a comprehensive Lean Six Sigma education with AI modules, real-world projects, and expert mentoring, preparing you for certifications and equipping you with practical skills in efficiency, cost reduction, and quality management.
⏰ Duration: 12 weeks (8-10 hours per week)
💰 Price: $3000
🌟 Recommended experience: At least 5 years of experience
🥇 Certificate: Yes
🧠 Skills You Will Gain:
- Lean Six Sigma Green Belt & Black Belt
- Agile Management
- Lean Management
- Digital Transformation
- Minitab
- Jira
- Quality Management
- Microsoft Excel
This course offers a guide to developing a robust and maintainable Selenium WebDriver test automation framework using Java and TestNG. Designed for those with a basic understanding of Selenium WebDriver, the course focuses on enhancing your automation skills by building a full-stack test framework and implementing advanced Selenium techniques.
⏰ Duration: 5 hours
💰 Price: $59.99 per month
🌟 Recommended experience: Intermediate level. Includes some experience with Java or another object-oriented programming language (beginner or intermediate), familiarity with Selenium WebDriver (ability to automate basic tests), and prior experience with TestNG or JUnit testing frameworks (a big plus). Experience with Maven is also beneficial, though not critical.
🥇 Certificate: Yes
🧠 Skills you will gain:
- Developing a Full-Stack Test Automation Framework from scratch
- Implementing a Data Driven Test Framework
- Using the Page Object Model in Selenium
- Automating complex test cases with Selenium
- Applying advanced Selenium WebDriver techniques, such as taking screenshots and capturing JS console errors
This course provides an in-depth exploration of performance testing with JMeter, covering both fundamental concepts and practical skills. Over 24 hours of content, you'll learn about performance testing principles, the Performance Test Life Cycle (PTLS), and the workings of HTTP/HTML protocols. You'll also develop JMeter scripts for low- to medium-complexity tests, execute load tests, analyze results, and gain the knowledge needed to begin a career as a Trainee Performance Test Engineer.
⏰ Duration: 25 hours
💰 Price: $69.99 per month
🌟 Recommended experience: Intermediate level. Experience in automated testing and testing frameworks.
🥇 Certificate: Yes
🧠 Skills you will gain:
- Understanding of Performance Testing concepts and terminology
- Overview of the PTLC
- Fundamentals of HTTP/HTML protocols
- Creating JMeter performance test scripts for low to medium complexity scenarios
- Executing and analyzing simple load tests
- Preparing for a role as a Trainee Performance Test Engineer
This course provides a comprehensive introduction to security testing, focusing on essential concepts and practical skills needed for assessing organizational security. Over 3 hours and 26 minutes, you'll learn how to set up a testing environment, plan and execute various security assessments, and analyze results. Security architect Jerod Brennen will guide you through identifying targets, utilizing popular testing framework tools such as Nmap, Nessus, Wireshark, Lynis, OWASP ZAP, Aircrack-ng, and hashcat on a Kali Linux virtual machine, and drafting detailed reports on your findings.
Throughout the course, you'll develop the skills needed to confidently assess and ensure the security of your organization, employing a range of tools and techniques to identify and address vulnerabilities.
⏰ Duration: 4 hours
💰 Price: $39.99 per month within the LinkedIn Learning subscription package
🌟 Recommended experience: Intermediate level. Experience in software testing, especially test automation
🥇 Certificate: Yes
🧠 Skills you will gain:
- Network security
- Security testing techniques
- Setting up a testing environment
- Planning and executing security assessments
- Analyzing test results
- Using popular security testing tools
This advanced course delves into sophisticated software testing techniques, tools, and practices designed to help you deliver high-quality software. Through a combination of practical exercises and cutting-edge research, you'll explore state-based and web testing, combinatorial testing, mutation testing, and property-based testing.
By the end of this course, you’ll be equipped to implement advanced testing techniques and deliver robust, high-quality software, whether you’re a seasoned developer, QA engineer, or aspiring software tester.
⏰ Duration: 5 weeks (3-5 hours per week)
💰 Price: Free / $199
🌟 Recommended experience: Advanced level, practical experience with testing
🥇 Certificate: Available for students who opt for paid access to the course
🧠 Skills you will gain:
- Model-based testing
- State machine testing
- Property-based testing
- Mutation testing
- Decision table testing
- Testing strategy development
This course equips learners with the skills to ensure software quality beyond just correct functionality. By focusing on engineering practices and processes, you’ll learn how both Agile and traditional teams can build high-quality software while being prepared for inevitable changes in requirements.
This course covers techniques and processes that help teams maintain software quality and ensure they are prepared for change while delivering secure and reliable applications. Across five modules, you'll explore how to measure software quality attributes, establish testable scenarios, and calculate various quantitative metrics related to software quality.
⏰ Duration: 17 hours
💰 Price: $49 per month within the Coursera subscription
🌟 Recommended experience: Intermediate level, relevant experience required
🥇 Certificate: Yes
🧠 Skills you will gain:
- Software testing
- Software architecture
- Application security
- Software design
- Software quality metrics
You'll learn everything from advanced testing methods, such as unit, integration, and end-to-end testing, to proficient debugging skills that will help you diagnose and resolve issues efficiently.
This course offers a deep dive into testing and debugging within the .NET Core framework, covering essential techniques to maintain application stability. You’ll explore advanced testing methods to ensure that your applications are resilient, along with practical debugging skills to identify and fix issues effectively. Whether you’re looking to advance your career or enhance your existing skills, this course equips you with the tools to tackle testing and debugging challenges in professional environments.
⏰ Duration: 8 hours
💰 Price: $49 per month within the Coursera subscription
🌟 Recommended experience: Intermediate level. The course is designed for individuals with a foundational understanding of .NET Core development and proficiency in the C# programming language.
🥇 Certificate: Yes
🧠 Skills you will gain:
- Advanced testing techniques (Unit, Integration, and End-to-End Testing)
- Debugging methodologies
- CI/CD integration
- Code Quality maintenance
- Collaborative debugging
This course offers an overview of software engineering methodologies, tools, and techniques required to design, implement, test, and maintain large-scale software systems. It bridges scientific knowledge with practical application, combining theory with real-world case studies to enhance your software engineering skills in realistic development environments. From project management to system design, this course provides the foundation needed to deliver scalable, maintainable, and cost-effective software solutions.
The course covers the full lifecycle of software development, from capturing requirements to design, implementation, testing, and maintenance of large-scale systems. With hands-on examples and real-life case studies, you'll deepen your understanding of software engineering methodologies in a practical context.
⏰ Duration: 2 months at 10 hours per week
💰 Price: $49 per month within Coursera subscription
🌟 Recommended experience: Intermediate level, basic Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) concepts.
🥇 Certificate: Yes
🧠 Skills you will gain:
- Software testing
- Project management
- Software engineering
- System design
- Project planning
This course delves into the practices of API testing and helps you ensure that service APIs undergo a thorough testing cycle. You'll explore the purpose of API testing, learn about tools for API discovery and exploration, and enhance your testing strategy with the P.O.I.S.E.D. heuristic. Additionally, you'll get hands-on experience with Postman to automate API tests, conduct data-driven testing, and integrate your tests into a continuous integration environment.
Service APIs are the backbone of modern software, and ensuring their functionality is critical. In this course, you'll discover why API testing is so important and how to effectively explore and automate API tests. The course emphasizes practical learning with tools like Postman, providing you with the skills to run automated tests, perform data-driven testing, and incorporate your testing into a continuous integration pipeline.
⏰ Duration: 2 hours
💰 Price: Free
🌟 Recommended experience: Basic practical experience with testing.
🥇 Certificate: No
🧠 Skills you will gain:
- API testing
- Test automation with Postman
- Continuous integration for API Testing
- API Test Strategy with P.O.I.S.E.D. heuristic
This course provides an in-depth exploration of Agile methodologies, including Agile, Scrum, and Sprint, with a focus on Agile Testing techniques and the role of the Agile Tester. Spanning 5 days, you'll dive into Test Driven Development, Acceptance Test Driven Development , and mock objects, while also gaining an overview of automation tools. The course can be tailored to include intensive hands-on sessions to enhance your practical testing skills.
Throughout the course, you’ll achieve a foundational understanding of Agile principles, explore various testing methodologies, and apply practical techniques to improve your testing proficiency.
⏰ Duration: 5 days
💰 Price: Starting at $29 per month with a Pluralsight subscription.
🌟 Recommended experience: Basic practical experience with testing.
🥇 Certificate: Yes
🧠 Skills you will gain:
- Agile overview
- Scrum fundamentals, artifacts, and roles
- Role of the agile tester
- Agile testing pyramid
- Agile testing tools
- Comparison of Test-Driven Development (TDD), Acceptance Test-Driven Development (ATDD), and Behavior-Driven Development (BDD)
- Test automation tools
- Mock objects
This course is designed to streamline your development workflow by teaching you how to set up an efficient development environment and automate optimization tasks. Over the course of 7 lessons, you'll learn to configure your text editor, explore the Gulp build system, and integrate LiveReload for automatic browser updates. You'll also tackle cross-browser CSS issues, JavaScript errors, and utilize pre-provided scaffolding tools for enhanced productivity.
By the end of the course, you’ll have a comprehensive understanding of web tooling and automation techniques to boost your development efficiency and workflow.
⏰ Duration: 7 lessons
💰 Price: Free
🌟 Recommended experience: Basic practical experience with testing.
🥇 Certificate: Yes
🧠 Skills you will gain:
- Fundamentals of web tooling
- Text editor configuration and features
- Gulp build system
- LiveReload integration
- Cross-Browser CSS solutions
- JavaScript error prevention
- Tool pipeline optimizations
- Scaffolding tools
This course is perfect for those who want to dive deep into agile methodologies. In just 12 hours, you’ll learn the fundamentals of agile, including Scrum and Kanban, and how to create and manage agile boards in Jira Software Cloud. You'll also discover how to apply agile practices effectively within Jira to streamline your project management processes.
⏰ Duration: 3 weeks at 4 hours per week (12 hours)
💰 Price: Free/$49 per month within the Coursera subscription
🌟 Recommended experience: Basic practical experience with testing.
🥇 Certificate: Available with a paid subscription.
🧠 Skills you will gain:
- Project management
- Agile management
- Scrum (software development)
- Work management
This program prepares you for a career in DevOps and software engineering, with a focus on mastering DevOps practices, Agile philosophy, Scrum methodology, and Cloud Native skills. Over three months, you’ll gain hands-on experience creating Python-based applications, working with microservices, and deploying them using containers like Docker and Kubernetes. You’ll also learn to implement CI/CD pipelines with tools such as Chef, Puppet, GitHub Actions, and Tekton, equipping you with the job-ready skills needed in modern software development.
⏰ Duration: 3 months at 10 hours per week (120 hours)
💰 Price: $49 per month within the Coursera subscription
🌟 Recommended experience: Basic IT knowledge.
🥇 Certificate: Yes.
🧠 Skills you will gain:
- DevOps mindset
- Python programming
- Microservices & Containers
- CI/CD automation
- Agile & Scrum methodology
- Cloud native development
- Software testing
- Infrastructure as Code (IaC)
- Observability & Monitoring
This short course, taking just 5 hours to complete, introduces the fundamental concepts of software testing and validation. You’ll learn to describe different types of software testing, understand their pros and cons, and recognize when testing is essential in the software development process. The course emphasizes designing effective test cases, evaluating their effectiveness, and generating comprehensive test plans. Additionally, participants gain practical skills in software validation and dynamic testing techniques, ensuring software robustness and reliability.
⏰ Duration: 5 hours
💰 Price: $49 per month within the Coursera subscription
🌟 Recommended experience: Beginner level.
🥇 Certificate: Yes.
🧠 Skills you will gain:
- Software Testing
- Software Development
- Validation
This program equips you with in-demand skills such as Python programming, Git, and IT automation. Designed to advance your career, the course covers everything from automating tasks with Python scripts to managing IT resources at scale, both for physical and cloud-based machines. Throughout the six-course series, you’ll learn to analyze real-world IT problems and implement strategic solutions, gaining hands-on experience in troubleshooting, debugging, and configuration management.
The course consists of six modules covering essential topics in IT automation and cloud resource management.
⏰ Duration: 6 months at 10 hours a week (181 hours)
💰 Price: $49 per month within the Coursera subscription
🌟 Recommended experience: Basic IT knowledge.
🥇 Certificate: Yes.
🧠 Skills you will gain:
- Python programming
- Using Version Control
- Configuration management
- Troubleshooting & Debugging
- Automation
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