Alexa Ballantine — Developer in Test
Before becoming a Developer in Test for Which?, Alexa worked as an Illustrator, Designer, Product Manager, Scuba Diving Instructor and Traveller.
You can catch Alexa on the internet at:
What did you want to be growing up?
Nothing could stop me from drawing when I was little and I dreamt of being a famous artist.
When did your interest in tech start?
When I was doing my graphics degree at Central Saint Martins I had an introduction to web design class. I found it very exciting but challenging. Unfortunately, after the introduction I didn’t touch anything to do with technology for about 10 years.
How did you make the transition to being a developer?
After several years working in print, four years travelling and working as a diving instructor I returned to London and decided tech was my best bet at a stable and interesting career.
I’ve worked incredibly hard over the last 3 years; going to codebar, meetups, and spending hours of my own time learning how to code.
I accepted my first job at a tech startup as a telesales person, the thought of the job was so depressing but the product was exciting and I knew if I worked hard, there would be opportunities to progress. After about a month I transitioned to content editor for the app. I then persuaded the founder to let me do the design for the app. After about a year, they asked me if I would take on the responsibility of testing. I was very lucky to have fantastic support from the senior developer and the CTO. I learnt everything about agile methodologies, best practices for testing and how to work in a small scrum team. After a lack of funding, I left the startup as a manual tester and designer.
I then got a job as a UAT Analyst for Zoopla Property Group. It was a manual testing position and over the next year I worked hard to prove that automation was the way forward and that I was capable enough to set up an automation framework. This is when I first started writing code in my job and it introduced me to version control and Git. After a year I was promoted to an Automation Developer.
After Zoopla, I joined a very technically focused team at Which? as a Developer in Test. Although, I’m not strictly a developer I’m not far off.
If you’re interested in testing, think about it as a potential stepping stone, it’s a good way to transition if you have no or little coding experience.
What was your first development job?
I would say my current position as a Developer in Test at Which? This is my first technical job where there’s almost no manual testing.
What is your favourite thing about being a Developer in Test?
The challenge. I love trying to work out why a test is failing, whether it’s the code or the test. Every day I have the opportunity to learn and that keeps it interesting.
What is the coolest project you have worked on and why?
I would say introducing test automation to Zoopla. It was such a challenge but I had fantastic support from the developers and it was a very exciting time.
How did you get involved with codebar?
When I got to London after travelling I enrolled onto a City University course for HTML and CSS. The course was expensive, out of date and had too many students with various levels of experience. I was so disappointed.
Thankfully, a housemate told me about codebar. I was so impressed and I have no idea where I’d be without it.
I’ve worked incredibly hard for almost 3 years, going to codebar, meetups, and spending hours of my own time learning how to code.
Why do you keep coming back to codebar?
The list of things I want to learn is endless but it’s not just that. It’s the support, the friendly faces and the prospect of meeting new people.
What are your plans for the future?
I’m working on transitioning towards being a developer. I really enjoy testing but I’d like to test what I build.
What advice would you give to aspiring developers?
You have to really want it. Work hard, very hard, and even if you don’t have the cash to splash out on a bootcamp course you can still get there. If you accept that it’s unlikely that you’ll walk into your dream job, but that it’s a stepping stone to where you want to go you can end up learning on the job. It may have taken me years to get here and it might take a few more before I move into a purely development role but I still think I’ll come out with some great experience. I already have more testing experience than most developers and I know this will give me a huge advantage. If you’re interested in testing, think about it as a potential stepping stone, it’s a good way to transition if you have no or little coding experience. There’s a huge demand for good QA people and the salaries can meet that of a developer if you’re technical enough.
