how I fell into testing and how I keep myself on my toes!
Wow. So here we are. Strange introduction you may think (and I agree it probably is!) however this is my frst EVER blog! I am not sure how this whole blogging journey is going to go but I thought I would give it a whirl! I intend to start blogging on various topics but there will be a key theme throughout - the content will be based my experiences with the hope that sharing my own experiences and views (which you may disagree with, thats cool)
So, to the subject of the blog - that being me! Or should I say my journey so far in the world of IT/Tech.
about me
First and foremost I consider myself a tester. I am a father of two children and live in the ‘sunny’ North West of England. I am someone who happens to have been lucky enough to have worked in some fantastic organisations performing various roles in testing. From starting out as a Functional Test Analyst at Barclays Bank - to date one of my most enjoyable roles , absolutely loved being so hands on - through to my current Test Coach role at The Very Group working in an exciting and awe inspiring tribe and squad delivery environment
If I had to summarise my journey in Testing so far it would be “always pushing myself to new challenges – whether I like it or not! And that is the key for me. Listen to your gut yes but always push yourself into different areas of learning, work environments, networks.
starting the journey
How did I get into testing I hear you ask? O.k I know you did not ask that but I am going to tell you anyway! The first half of my testing career was spent as a functional tester, whether that be an analyst, lead or manager at Barclays Bank. Nothing can quite prepare you for fast paced, demanding environment in Financial Services! To this day I have a strong passion for the functional aspect of testing i.e. does the product deliver what the customer requires - this is attributable I think for spending 7 previous years in a customer service centre of which holds many fond memories 😊 Having spent many years having direct contact with customers really does shape your view of the world when it comes putting together test strategies and indeed execution of tests
throwing myself out of the comfort zone
In 2014 I was becoming quite comfortable in my role career wise but also had become a father of two at this point. So.. I took the plunge. I took up an amazing opportunity to build a QA Team from scratch at The University of Liverpool. Not only was this challenging from a test leadership point of view, in terms of my own testing craft knowledge I knew I had to make myself aware of different test techniques. It was here I expanded my awareness into non-functional testing such as Performance, Security, API and also got hands on researching Test Automation. It had always at this point seemed like a dark art ..oooooo spoookky automation ….however like most things in life there is no such thing as the dark arts, simply there are the known unknowns. At this point my thirst for learning was becoming greater.
keep sharpening the saw
In 2018 I then threw myself even further into the ‘bath of change’ by taking up a role at The Co-op in Manchester. Specifically shaping their Technical Test Team in Retail. Now I confess this was a huge change for me and part of me screamed “what are you doing?! you are not technical you are functional”! Me of all people from a mainly ‘functional’ background! However I have learned that I am technically aware and that is something that is very undervalued. So I approached this role with a huge desire to learn, working with some experts in their field around Performance, Test Automation and building on my new leadership skills under Test Leadership that was both supportive and collaborate. I again took a lot of learnings away from this time in my life , understanding what various test tools capability are e.g. Load Runner Vs JMetre as well as working in different work environments, which I cannot recommend enough by the way.
Most recently I have taken another big jump in changing things up for myself. Moving into my first Test Coaching role at The Very Group. Yikes! Another learning curve.! As turns out I enjoy talking, mentoring, collaborating with people but this is only a relatively new found awareness. So currently every day is a school day .. and long may that continue!
what have I learned so far?
To to conclude my first blog I would like to summarise that for me personally there are 3 constant areas that are crucial to anyone aiming for or continuing a career in testing / QA:
- Learning
- Always look outwards and challenge yourself be it self-development, secondments into different roles.
- Jump headlong into the bath of change. Own your self-development journey
- Communication is key!
- We can run all the tests in the world using various techniques but ultimately, we are a provider of information to the decision makers.
- How we communicate quality information will help shape the decision to proceed
- Awareness
- Become aware of principles and concepts of other areas that you are not familiar with.
- You do not need to go to deep, but this will ensure when considering quality you have them in mind.
- However, do not mistake awareness for proficiency! Just dip your toe into a area that you are unsure of e.g. “what the heck is involved with Performance Testing”.
- Simply aim for getting yourself to a place where you could describe the “what and why” but do not put pressure on yourself to “do the doing”.