From Functional Testing to Automation: My Learning Journey, Roadmap, and Resources

I recently started sharing automation testing techniques and often receive questions about how to move from functional testing to automation and where to find good learning resources.

My career began like many testers, doing pure UI functional testing at an e‑commerce company, feeling stagnant after two years, and realizing that programming skills are essential for deeper testing capabilities and better compensation.

Motivated to change, I began learning Python and Selenium for web UI automation, explored Robot Framework for keyword‑driven testing, briefly tried Appium for mobile automation, and eventually built a web automation framework by wrapping Selenium APIs.

After moving to a financial company as a test‑development engineer, I worked on a custom test quality platform using Flask (Python backend) and Vue (frontend), gaining experience across the full testing lifecycle—from requirement analysis to platform development, self‑testing, and training dozens of testers.

The key prerequisite for test development is solid functional testing experience combined with strong API and UI automation skills.

To help others, I compiled a comprehensive "Automation Testing Engineer Learning Roadmap" that includes:

Python programming basics for automation

Web UI automation fundamentals and practice

App UI automation fundamentals and practice

API testing fundamentals and practice

CI/CD integration techniques

Automation framework implementation

Each section is illustrated with diagrams (originally images) and detailed explanations.

At the end of the article, I provide a QR code and a cloud‑disk link where readers can download the full roadmap and additional resources. I also invite readers to join a QQ group for further discussion, interview tips, and community support.

Overall, the guide aims to give beginners a clear, step‑by‑step plan to upgrade their testing skills, avoid common pitfalls, and improve career prospects.