Although I am still relatively new to automation, I have already created a handful of tests using Webdriver and TestNG. These tests are data-driven, pulling parameters from Excel sheets. As someone who primarily works manually on test plans, teaching myself Selenium and Webdriver has been quite a learning experience. My Java skills are basic, but I've been able to create tests that interact with web forms and validate submissions. I'm curious about how much more advanced UI automation tests can become, and what other areas outside of web/software screens automation testers typically explore.
I aspire to transition into full-time automation as I don't see a long-term future in manual testing. However, I wonder if I would be immediately overwhelmed by joining an automation team without formal training and only a basic understanding of Java. Currently, my toolkit consists of Selenium Webdriver with Java bindings and the TestNG framework for data-driven testing. If I were to switch over to nightwatch.js and script my tests in JavaScript, would there be a significant learning curve in converting from Java to JavaScript?