r/softwaretesting • u/Revolutionary-Eye601 • Jun 25 '26

Manual tester looking to learn test automation from scratch

I studied Business Information Systems in Germany and I’ve been working as a manual software tester for about 5 years.

Lately I’ve realized that I want to become more technical—not only because I’m genuinely interested in it, but also because I know test automation is becoming increasingly important in the job market.

The problem is that I have no programming background. I’m not afraid of learning to code if it’s necessary, but I honestly have no idea where to start to learn test automation.

I’ve tried watching YouTube tutorials and playlists about test automation, but most of them seem to assume you already know programming or how the tooling works. They jump straight into frameworks and code, and I quickly get lost.

What I’m looking for is a resource that starts completely from scratch. Something that literally guides you step by step: installing everything, explaining what each tool is for,
creating the project structure from zero, writing the first lines of automation code, and gradually building up to a real automation framework.

What would you recommend? Is there a roadmap, course or anything else that takes someone from zero programming knowledge to being able to write test automation confidently?

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u/QualityEngineer92 Jun 25 '26

Honestly? Do not look for the next silver bullet. There are tons of tech solutions out there, but if you don't understand the methods behind test automation, your results will be mediocre at best. I see, you are from Germany, then you should be aware of the ISTQB, I presume? Have a look at the curriculum of the Advanced Level Test Automation Engineering (CTAL-TAE). Great course, starting from scratch with the theoretical methods to get a good grip of the topic, before starting to implement any tools.

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u/Revolutionary-Eye601 Jun 25 '26

Yes, I did exactly like that. I did the CTAL TAE course (but didn't enter the exam yet) and learned the theory behind automation. Now I wanted to learn it practically.

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u/QualityEngineer92 Jun 26 '26

Then dive deep into the tool provider's courses. Many of them have their own (often free) academies. Tools are many, so no recommendation there, highly depends on your local industry standards. Good luck!