According to the International Society of Automation, automation is “the creation and application of technology to monitor and control the production and delivery of products and services.” The ability to automate repetitive tasks is an important tool for businesses of all kinds to maintain efficiency and quality assurance, but it has become particularly important for IT administration and software development.

For example, IT professionals can use Python programming to automate common system administration tasks, including troubleshooting and debugging as well as scaling solutions using configuration management and the cloud. Application developers also use testing automation techniques for software testing and security testing, as it allows them to verify and validate program correctness across a vastly larger range of use cases than would be possible manually.

Because robust testing and quality assurance is essential for the launch of successful software products as well as the use of software solutions, automation skills are an important asset for many careers. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, software developers and quality assurance analysts and testers are commonly employed by software publishers, computer equipment manufacturers, computer systems designers, and data processing and other information service companies.

As of May 2019, BLS data shows these professionals earned a median annual wage of $107,510, an excellent salary commensurate with the importance of this work.

Yes, certainly. Computer science topics are among the most popular courses on Coursera, and software automation is no exception. Coursera offers courses for beginning students as well as intermediate and mid-career learners to help you apply automation techniques to problem solving in IT, software development, web application security testing, and more.

You also have options to learn about automation from top-ranked institutions like the University of Minnesota, industry leaders like Google Cloud, or even through hands-on, guided tutorials taught by experienced instructors as part of the Coursera Project Network. Regardless of what choice is the best fit for your needs, online learning with Coursera lets you view and complete course materials on a flexible schedule that can fit your existing career or family life.