A Fledgling Career as a Software Tester
Leaving the safety net of university can be daunting, there are so many choices and possible career paths that it is difficult to know which one will yield the greatest results. So how do you choose what to do? Well, investigation and preparation is a good start, by being confident in your own knowledge you will find that the choices are much easier to make.
So lets have a look at one of our graduates, Rob, in his story below he’ll recite to you his experiences which will hopefully help you make a more informed decision at this most pivotal time in your lives.
— Lee Boot, Sparta Global Academy Trainer
Robs Story
“I joined Sparta Global to help gain an advantage with my entry into the IT sector. Although I had a great science degree I found that workplaces need something more from graduates other than a top degree, that ‘something more’ being workplace knowledge. I have always been passionate about technology but I was still a novice to software testing. Sparta provided me and my class with training to initially ensure that we all knew what to expect and how to meet the client’s demands.
Training
The training started off with a fun and rewarding week of general business skills, which was surprisingly useful, especially from a trainer who has been there and done it. This week also served as an ice breaker to make me, and the rest of my class, feel at ease with each other and the trainer. After this initial period the intensity and expectations ramped up as we quickly progressed through certifications (such as ISTQB) and specialised areas of testing including; Agile, Web development and testing, and mobile testing. Through the entire process we were pushed to excel in practical scenarios that helped us develop a real working knowledge of the theory we had learnt.
All of this culminated with final individual projects designed to look at our skills and how we use the tools shown to use throughout the course. If anything, this showed us the extent of our development over what eventually seemed like such a short time.
Once the training was over I had a brief wait for a client interview (Sparta have the clients and set up our interviews with them), which I eagerly awaited wanting to put these new found skills into practice. We had a lot of interview development during the course and I felt confident in being able to articulate my new skills. Once the day of the interview rolled round I discovered that there were two roles available but myself and three of my classmates had all been called in for interviews. I found myself with mixed feelings discussing the role with them the night before as I wanted to wish them luck, but also not enough that I'm unsuccessful.
The Interview
I arrived early and settled my nerves. I was greeted by the two test leads for the project and went on a brief tour of the offices and was given an overview of the current project and the role available. I found the interview to be an overall positive experience, in which all of us seemed at ease and relaxed; a comforting sign in what can be a stressful experience. My gut feeling from the day turned out to be correct as I was successful and would start as soon as the paperwork was cleared. As a side note, I have had nothing but positive experiences in interviews, As long as you prepare there is nothing to worry about — the interviewer wants you to succeed.
Placement — First Day
I then found myself on the morning of my first day, the first day in a new career as a software tester. I had trouble sleeping the night before due to both nerves and anticipation for what awaited me. I started a commute that would soon become routine and found myself waiting in the same reception as the day of the interview. I was greeted by one of the test leads that had interviewed me and he soon put me at ease and made me feel welcome. I was given a quick introduction to the rest of the team as well as being shown to my desk, my new home in this foreign building. The calm introduction was soon broken though, normality kicked in and I was following along to the weekly team meeting. It was here that I realised that whilst I had been given the skills to work as part of projects, each business has its own terminology and shorthand that I would have to learn for each individual project. The rest of the first day was really straight forward and relaxed allowing me to understand how the office and their systems worked. I was given access to the relevant areas of the computer system and left to work my way through all the training guides they had available.
The testing team was a mixture of trained software testers working alongside testers who had been recruited from the wider business allowing them to test specific areas that may be over looked by those that don’t use the BAU procedures. During my first week when I was struggling to understand the business terminology and acronyms that were being used, one of the business testers had put together a ‘cheat sheet’ which became my bible during this early period.
Everything went smoothly and my confidence went from strength to strength.
A biweekly catch-up was set up with one of the test leads, simply for us both to ensure there weren't any issues and to generally have a chat. The main thing I will remember from the placement was how welcoming and friendly everyone was. From the start if I had any questions everyone on the team made themselves available to hear them and answer them as best as they could, with efforts being made on all levels to incorporate me as part of the testing team. Social drinks became a semi regular occurrence which lead to these bonds being strengthened into friendships and contacts, which can be called upon at a date further down my career.
The role was a pure manual testing one which involved no automation tools, which was a nice and familiar start to an unknown environment. ALM software was used to track and manage the defects, whilst also allowing reports to be quickly produced. On reflection the training allowed me to have the confidence to walk into the role and know that I possess the skills to perform what is asked, it gave me the knowledge that the real working world doesn't always follow the rules laid out in the traditional standard guides. Much like when you learn to drive a car and your hands are positioned perfectly on the wheel but soon slip to more comfortable positions, these rules and guidelines can be bent and flexed to fit the project but care must be taken to not get to relaxed so that it becomes dangerous and corners are cut, increasing the risk assigned to the task or project.
This placement and this entire experience is simply the first step down a road that is full of wonder and excitement. I'm eager to see where my passion will take me and how far I will have progressed in just a few years time.
