Automated? Manual? There is no such thing as manual or automated testing. It’s all just testing. Testing is often supported by tools that attempt to simulate user interaction with the system. This is what people call “test automation” even though it is only automating a crude approximation of one aspect of testing. If you have the ambition to be a one-man test team, it is extremely valuable to learn how to make your own tools.

Exploratory? Scripted? There is no such thing as an exploratory or scripted tester. All good testing is exploratory to some degree and scripted to some degree.

Tester. This is a testing generalist who can contribute to any test team. Sometimes called a QA analyst, QA engineer, or test engineer. I prefer the simplicity of “tester.”

Omega Tester. The omega tester (which I sometimes call a test jumper, after the analogy of a paratrooper) is one who can do anything. An omega tester is equipped to be the only tester in a project team, if necessary. Omega testers can lead testing, or work with a team of other testers. I am an omega tester. I aspire to be a good one.

Performance Tester. The performance tester understands the mathematics and dynamics of the performance of large-scale systems. They use tools that create high loads and measure the performance envelope of systems as they scale up. Performance testers often don’t think of themselves as testers.

Usability Tester. The usability tester is a bit mythical. I have met only two dedicated usability testers in my entire career, but I have seen more of them from a distance. A usability tester specializes in studying how users feel about using and learning a product.

Security Tester. Security testers also often don’t think of themselves as testers. Security is an exciting, specialized form of testing that requires the mastery of a great many facts about a great many technologies.

Testing Toolsmith. A testing toolsmith is a programmer dedicated to writing and maintaining tools that help testers. This is what a lot of people would call an “automated tester” but you better not use that term around me.

“SDET” Software Development Engineer in Test. This means a full on programmer who does testing using his programming skills.