Introduction: A Manual Tester’s Realization
I remember staring at my computer screen, manually executing test cases one by one, thinking—there has to be more to this. I was a manual tester, confident in my understanding of the SDLC, but something was missing. I saw job listings filled with words like Selenium, Java, TestNG, and I felt lost. The world was moving fast—and I needed to catch up.
That’s when I challenged myself to build a roadmap: 60 days to go from manual to automation testing.
This is not just a roadmap—it's a story. A journey of small wins, late nights, broken scripts, and finally, confidence.
Phase 1: The Groundwork (Days 1–7)
Like any journey, I started at the roots. I revisited the basics—SDLC, STLC, and the bug life cycle. I learned to write better test cases, not just pass/fail checklists but structured, insightful documentation.
By Day 7, I had rebuilt my confidence in manual testing fundamentals—now with clarity and purpose.
Phase 2: Java – My First Wall (Days 8–20)
The hardest part? Programming. I had avoided it for years. But I told myself: "You don’t need to be a developer—just enough to automate."
So I took it one day at a time.
- Day 8 was “Hello World.”
- Day 14 was OOPs—something that finally clicked after I drew real-world examples in a notebook.
But midway, around Day 12, I hit a wall. I struggled with loops, and the logic felt overwhelming. My confidence dipped. I even skipped a day, thinking maybe automation wasn’t for me.
But I reminded myself why I started. I revisited the basics, watched a few YouTube tutorials again, and took notes by hand. By Day 15, I was back—more determined.
By Day 20, I had built tiny Java programs and learned Git basics to push my code.
It was hard. But I was no longer afraid of code.
Phase 3: Enter Selenium – Automation Awakens (Days 21–35)
Now, I felt ready. I downloaded Selenium WebDriver, wrote my first script to open Google, type a word, and hit search. It was magic. It felt like unlocking a secret level of testing.
But this phase wasn’t all smooth. I remember spending hours trying to understand XPath locators. One night, I stayed up until 2 AM just trying to click a dynamic button on a test site. It felt like I was chasing ghosts in the DOM. I felt defeated.
That’s when I took a step back and reminded myself—“Every bug is a chance to learn.” I started writing down the problems I faced and Googled them one by one. I followed blogs, watched videos, even reached out to someone on LinkedIn for help. Slowly, things started making sense.
Each day brought new learning:
- Locators became my friends.
- I wrote test cases using TestNG.
- I created a Page Object Model project.
- Integrated Maven, and by Day 35, I had a small but real-world project running.
By this point, I wasn’t just writing scripts—I was thinking like an engineer. For the first time, I wasn’t just following steps; I was building logic. And that felt empowering.
I began to feel like a true automation engineer.
Phase 4: Building Confidence with Projects (Days 36–45)
Now it was time to bring everything together.
I added logging with Log4j, made HTML reports, and even wrote a script to capture screenshots on failure.
I learned API testing using Postman, practiced GET/POST requests, and integrated basic API tests into my framework.
By Day 45, I had pushed my first full automation framework to GitHub—a public portfolio I was proud of.
Phase 5: Real-World Readiness (Days 46–55)
Next came the deployment puzzle—Jenkins. It sounded intimidating at first. CI/CD? Pipelines? It was a world beyond scripting.
I spent an entire weekend just setting up Jenkins on my local system. Plugins failed. Git hooks didn’t trigger. My first pipeline broke halfway and I had no clue why. I felt like giving up again. "Is this even worth it?" I muttered aloud.
But I remembered how far I had come—from fearing Java to building test frameworks. I wasn’t about to quit now. I slowed down, read the documentation, watched setup tutorials three times over, and took notes in a separate logbook. I started appreciating how these tools connected everything—Git, Selenium, Maven—all into one powerful workflow.
I created pipelines, configured GitHub triggers, and set email alerts for test results.
It felt like unlocking the “pro” level of testing. I even began exploring Docker for test environments. Day 55 ended with me watching my tests run on Jenkins automatically—on schedule. I smiled, knowing that this time, I didn't just follow a tutorial—I understood what I built.
Phase 6: The Finishing Touches (Days 56–60)
I started preparing for interviews:
- Practiced common Selenium questions.
- Revised manual testing concepts (because they're still asked!).
- Updated my resume and wrote a LinkedIn post about my journey.
On Day 60, I demoed my final project, wrote an article on LinkedIn, and felt ready for real-world challenges.
What I Learned in These 60 Days
- You don’t have to be perfect—you just have to be consistent.
- Google and GitHub are your best friends.
- Share your learning. It builds community and opens doors.
Want to Start Your Journey?
Before you begin, let me tell you something straight from the heart: It’s okay to feel lost. It’s okay to doubt yourself. There were days I felt I wasn’t smart enough, fast enough, or technical enough. But I showed up anyway. And that’s what made the difference.
Every great journey starts with a small, uncertain step. Yours might be today.
Start slow. Learn daily. Celebrate small wins. If you miss a day, come back stronger the next. Ask questions, share your doubts, and never be ashamed of being a beginner.
You’re not alone. This community is full of learners just like you—taking one step forward every day.
I created a 60-day roadmap that worked for me—and it can work for you too.
Download it, follow it, share it. And when you reach Day 60, share your success with the world. Also you can ask your concern in comment section.
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