Every programmer remembers their first Hello, World! , that magical moment when code runs, the console responds, and the journey begins. When I started testing, I felt that same excitement all over again. I loved it so much that I switched careers from Backend Engineering into Quality Assurance and discovered that testing has its own “Hello, World!” moment. Hello, World! It wasn’t just about printing text to a screen anymore. It was about asking a deeper question: Does this system really behave the way we expect?This paradigm shift had a profound impact on my career trajectory.. Now, let’s explore my first step into QA. Does this system really behave the way we expect? The Manual “Hello, World!”My inaugural test experience was surprisingly underwhelming.. I had just started learning how to code when, out of nowhere, we were expected to write tests. Can you imagine? Struggling just to get the code to work, and now I had to write unit tests to check that code! So I started small. Here’s a simple manual test scenario you can try: STEPACTIONEXPECTED RESULT1Open GoogleGoogle homepage loads2Type 'Hello, World!' in the search barText appears in the search bar3Press EnterSearch results display for 'Hello, World!' STEPACTIONEXPECTED RESULT1Open GoogleGoogle homepage loads2Type 'Hello, World!' in the search barText appears in the search bar3Press EnterSearch results display for 'Hello, World!' STEPACTIONEXPECTED RESULT1Open GoogleGoogle homepage loads2Type 'Hello, World!' in the search barText appears in the search bar3Press EnterSearch results display for 'Hello, World!' STEPACTIONEXPECTED RESULT STEP ACTION EXPECTED RESULT 1Open GoogleGoogle homepage loads 1 Open Google Google homepage loads 2Type 'Hello, World!' in the search barText appears in the search bar 2 Type 'Hello, World!' in the search bar Text appears in the search bar 3Press EnterSearch results display for 'Hello, World!' 3 Press Enter Search results display for 'Hello, World!' ✅ Pass = Search results appear ❌ Fail = System behaves differently than expected That’s the manual testing of Hello, World! , asking: Does reality match expectation? The Automated “Hello, World!Manual testing cultivates curiosity, encouraging you to ask questions, explore, and identify unexpected behavior.dAutomation introduces repeatability and confidence, enabling scalable testing with maintained precision.n. Here’s the automated equivalent, using Jest in JavaScript: Jest Step 1: Write a function function greet() {
  return "Hello, World!";
}
module.exports = greet; function greet() {
  return "Hello, World!";
}
module.exports = greet; Step 2: Write the test const greet = require("./greet");

test("greet should return Hello, World!", () => {
  expect(greet()).toBe("Hello, World!");
}); const greet = require("./greet");

test("greet should return Hello, World!", () => {
  expect(greet()).toBe("Hello, World!");
}); Step 3: Run It npm init -y
npm install jest --save-dev
npx jest npm init -y
npm install jest --save-dev
npx jest And there it is: PASS  ./greet.test.js
✓ greet should return Hello, World! PASS  ./greet.test.js
✓ greet should return Hello, World! You’ve just written your first automated test. Beyond “Hello, World!” Of course, testing didn’t stop there. I progressed from writing that first tiny test to building full automation frameworks and integrating them into continuous delivery pipelines. I’ve validated APIs for platforms processing millions of transactions and created regression suites that caught critical issues before they reached production. Across industries, from procurement and HR SaaS platforms to high-volume insurance systems, I’ve carried forward the same guiding principle: Start simple, then scale with discipline. Why This Matters For developers, Hello, World! proves the environment works. For testers, our “Hello, World!” proves something bigger. It proves that we can trust the system. It proves that quality isn’t an afterthought but baked into the development process. And it proves that every user, whether one or one million, will get the experience they expect. Hello, World! Final Thoughts Over time, I have come to realize that software testing isn’t just a career path, it’s a craft. My first test was small, but it opened the door to a career where I now ensure entire platforms meet the highest standards of quality. So, if you’re stepping into QA for the first time, don’t just type Hello, World! and move on. Test it. Break it. Verify it. That’s when you know you’ve truly begun your journey as a software tester.

This story contains AI-generated text. The author has used AI either for research, to generate outlines, or write the text itself. 

The code in this story is for educational purposes. The readers are solely responsible for whatever they build with it.

Writing Your First Software Test

About Author

Comments

TOPICS

THIS ARTICLE WAS FEATURED IN

Related Stories

Untitled Story

How I Went From Chartered Accountant to QA Engineer in the UK

3D Engines: A Comprehensive Guide to Automation

Designing for Mental Health: Why Psychological Disabilities Matter in Inclusive UX

FastAPI vs Flask vs Django: How This Framework Choice Nearly Killed My Startup

Am I Ready To Be a Manager: Navigating the Pitfalls and Paving Your Path to Success

How I Went From Chartered Accountant to QA Engineer in the UK

3D Engines: A Comprehensive Guide to Automation

Designing for Mental Health: Why Psychological Disabilities Matter in Inclusive UX

FastAPI vs Flask vs Django: How This Framework Choice Nearly Killed My Startup

Am I Ready To Be a Manager: Navigating the Pitfalls and Paving Your Path to Success

Light-Mode

Classic

Newspaper

Dark-Mode

Neon Noir

Minty

HN StartUps