There's such a lot of interest and questions on the SDET/Test discipline that Microsoft has launched an external site on MSDN just for this community: http://msdn.com/testercenter.

The site is designed to promote the test discipline, showcase test expertise and help build a robust community of testers on MSDN worldwide. It also offers tips on testing techniques, strategies and best practices. Check out a forum or read an interesting article that may help you learn more about the SDET/testing role for help with future projects or even for interviews with us.

Visit the site and join the budding community of testers! Feel free to forward our link to the testers in your world and then share your ideas, experiences, and blogs by emailing tcsubmit@microsoft.com.

If you’re already a Microsoft employee, there are even more resources for you including test talk series and even upcoming course offerings to refresh your skills.

On a side note, several people have asked me if Microsoft SDETs do unit-test type work. After consulting with a few SDETs, I thought one summarized it quite well:

Most SDETs don’t do unit-test type work—developers would do that sort of stuff. SDETs work on a higher level, creating automation that may programmatically operate a user interface or that may put stress on a server or web service. The work complements unit testing in creating automation for customer scenarios that may not necessarily be covered in the unit testing scenarios.

– R.L.,
Surface
SDET