The Odds and Otherside of Mentoring & Community Work

The space of mentoring and association is something not easy to understand in the begining days.  Especially when a mentor is not coming from a job having big designation and social media following.  I got hit by these waves.  Now, I know how to balance my swimming with these waves.  I'm swim smoothly without losing my energy and focus.  

I try to understand what could be going in the mind at the other end.

Here in this blog post, I'm sharing what I experience, and what I'm said by few who wants to pair up and practice.

The intention of this write up is to share what I look for in minimum and no intention of hurting or talking bad of anyone.

Do Not Disclose My Name and My Practice With You

I was approached by few fellow engineers from the software testing community.  After a few sessions of pair practicing and learning together, I was asked to not mention or take their name and talk about the practice's accomplisment in the community.  I respect and acknolwedge this ask.  But, then, I asked why so!  I did not see any appropriate reason or concern expressed for doing so.  I have not shared anything about our practices and so far accomplishment.

That said, I see these mentees and a few testing community had no concerns in tagging and getting associated with others in social media and in the community spaces.

The curious me, tried to uncover what could be the reason for this.  I learn, these are a first few reasons:

1. No big job title and role metnioned on my LinkedIn profile
2. Not having the major social media following
3. Not speaking often in conferences and not given an opportunity for not having a title or big company name in my LinkedIn profile
4. Not being a panelist in any conferences
5. Not being a panel member in  the discussion
6. Not being a AMA person in social media and community space
7. Not working in a organization which has brand name that bring crowd to conferences or to the one's benefits
8. Not getting into unneccessary discussion or space that highlights the exchange of words [not the thoughts]
9. For not taking the inequality gesture and treaments
10. For practicing deep
11. For offerring the assistance when it is not asked
• This thing, I stopped!
• I learned my lessons
12. Helping and assisting with no expectation in return
• When you do not asked for any returns, the value is not recongized
• The same people pay thousands elsewhere and say it did not help them
13. And, I'm too good and humble is what I see; this does not work in the longer run in any business
• And, being so makes me not practical

Today, I'm saying NO to --  who approach me, and, then ask me not to say with anyone in the community as it impacts them and their relationship with others. 

I'm asked to share and give my work and artefacts, but, do not want to step up for giving a mention or credit in public!  I don't get it how!

I'm saying NO for such learning association and mentorship connection for the last two years.  I see, this is the best that I can do.

The practice and learning need courage, and the openness to receive and give back. Without this, we cannot experience the learning, practice and growth.

It is not that I make it public by tagging and bragging.  I don't make enough time to brag by tagging unnecessarily.  I write it meaningfully when I see our accomplishment adds value and benefits to more people, and to the mentee and me.

The point is, who is seeking assisatance do not have enough courage to stand up and say, we are practicing.  But, the same people will associates every other corners tagging with credits to others.

So, where is the problem?  If it is associating together with me, I want to say no to those who see that problem.

This is not just with individuals.  I see the same with a few Software Testing Communities.  At the start of a day, it is a business for the software testing communities, today.  While I get a lot of learnings from the communities, such things need to be ignored, and I do it.  If we do not make a way to support and sustain the community bussiness, there will be no space to make meaningful and sensible noise and exchange the learning.  Today, I watch myself in how I contribute to certain testing communities.  Giving back to community is must when I get so much from community.

So, Why This Blog Post?

I want to share this blog post for first to whoever approach me for practicing together or a community work.

I do not want to partner and associate in a mentorship and community work, if a person and group is

• Lacking the courage
• Not wanting to give the due credits
• No mention for whatever we lose, learn and gain in the pair practice we do

If the receiver is not confident and happy about the learning, gain and loss we make together, then I want the person to make use of her/his time with other mentor and skilled engineer.  I refer them to other mentors [and skilled engineer].  That way, the person and group can feel proud of her/his learning and talk about it in public by mentioning the other mentor [and engineer] name. 

I'm not being paid or making money when I work with a mentee or for a software testing community.  I expect the recognition, mention and due credit to be put out in public when the mentee or a community makes a loss, benefit and gain.  I see this is a fair expectation!

I do not want to be used with no respect and keep asking for the same.  If I remain so, I will not set a better example to myself, my teams and to the fellow people in the community.

Be courteous to those who give you, while you do not know, what that person is going through.

Behind the Every Test Data, There is a ?!

 

Read this blog post to have a perspective about the Test Data and Test Data Management.  The point is, if I'm not aware of a test and what does it tell me to explore, I cannot think of a Test Data.

That said, if I know what I should be evaluating as part of performance, why, when and how, this will help me to come up with a thought for identifying the tests and its test data for the same. 

The ninth question from season two of 100 Days of Skilled Testing is:

What role does data management play in performance testing, and how do you ensure the availability of suitable test data sets?

Testing and "Ensure"

We test and have tests in testing, because, there is no "sure" and "ensure" idea in software.  But, we presume on a rational basis upon, "if, these are this", in a given context when the software processes.

Now, ask yourself, how can we ensure the availability of suitable test data sets?

In my opinion, the Test Data is often misunderstood.  This is the primary problem and should be the first problem, when asked "what are the challenges in creating the test data?".

When you read the concluding lines of this blog post, you will learn why I say this.

Test Data and Immunity

In my opinion and experience in practicing the Test Engineering, I see, the Test Data should be a viral strain and it should have its variants.  When this test data is used to test [experiment, test investigate, and debug], how do the software and its ecosystem respond?

• Does the software and its ecosystem is immune to this test data?
• Does it exhibit any risks and problems?
• If yes, then, do the purpose of my testing and automation is accomplished with this test data?

This puts me back to question, what is the purpose [intent] of my test?  It drives me to derive the test data which helps me to know -- What am I supposed to learn and on priority?  With this, I get an idea for what kind of test data I should be creating knowing its pattern.

If the system is immune to Test Data and not reveling anything new in the context, I classify this pattern of test data as "Immune" to the context.

In my practice and research work in Test Engineering and Software Testing, to start, I categorize Test Data into two areas.

1. Immune
2. Not Immune

Further, I have categories, under these two, where I classify the Test Data deterministically for the context.   Get in touch if you want to learn more about this.  I'm just one ping away!

The tests should help me to evaluate for the immunity and also non-immunity; both are essential and necessity.  

The credit is to me for such classification of Test Data.  It is my research work out of my practice.

Note that, Test Data is not just the input [characters or files] entered or given to a system.  Test Data has its association to tech stacks, infrastructure, ecosystem, business workflows and people.  To craft such Test Data, one has to have the understanding of the system and its internals, and, the problem it solves by knowing how it solves.

Performance Testing and Test Data

1. What is that I'm testing as part of performance?
2. What do I want to evaluate in the name of performance?
3. What part of the system is evaluated for its performance?
• Should I evaluate this in isolation or as a wholeness of the system?
4. What domain knowledge and information I should have when testing for performance?
5. What system's architecture and internal details I should understand and be aware to test for performance?
6. Is this the first delivery?  Or, do we have this system running in the production?
• If it is first delivery,
• How will I create the test data to suit the consumers of this application?
• What are the key workflows of business that we should be evaluating for its performance?
• Do all workflows and sub-systems need the evaluation for performance, and on priority?
• How do I map the fragmentation of users and their data [with its patterns]?
• What are the infrastructure and ecosystem characteristics that should be part of the test data identified?
• Does caching have any effect if the same pattern of data is used?
• If it is a running version in production
• Can I refer to the DB to figure out the pattern for the particular workflow that I'm evaluating?
• How can I match the test data to have the production data's characteristics and attributes?
7. What is the backup strategy for the Test Data?
• How do I version control the Test Data?
• Which version of the Test Data I should be using?
8. What is the threshold I'm targeting with Test Data?
• What should be the size of the data in DB when I make the IO and RW operations?
• What should be the network capability when I make the IO and RW operations?
• What should be the hardware capability when I make the IO and RW operations?
• What should be the geographical traffic and its pattern when I make the IO and RW operations?
• More of such factors will be considered when identifying and deriving the test data.
9. What is the client error yielding Test Data that I should have for the workflow?
10. What is the server error yielding Test Data that I should have for the workflow?
11. What is the redirection yielding Test Data that I should have for the workflow?
12. What is the no-response and no-change Test Data that I should have for the workflow?

And, more.  It is simple; get in touch to discuss and know beyond the listed.

To conclude and stop here, all these questions, do not ensure or assure or make sure that I will have test data for evaluating a characteristic of performance.

• It helps me to know:
• What are the tests I should be doing?
• What kind of preparation I should be having in my practice to create the Test Data for these tests?

The, Test Data should challenge the available Testability and its limits.  If it is not doing, then, we are having a test data no doubt about it; but, it is of shallow. Shallow!?

One has to ask self, "Is this sufficient enough and effective Test Data for the system [and workflow] I'm testing?"

The, Test Data should drive the engineering team to add more layers of Testability into the system.

Software Testing Practice: The Top 5 Challenges I See Today -- Part 4A

 

The practice is one of the areas where I dwell, fall, and rise again.  I'm part of the practice. I'm, what I practice.  It redefines me every day.  This blog post is a sub-part of the blog post "The Common Challenges as a Software Tester and How I Overcome -- Part 4".

Here are the first few challenges that I witness in the Practice context

1. Awareness
2. Being Contemporary
3. Upskilling
4. Being "the match and approachable"
5. Being Focused

Awareness

Why it is a challenge?

• If I'm not aware
• I cannot be contemporary
• I will not know why it is the way it is
• Without the awareness of what's happening,
• I cannot help myself with what to unlearn, learn and upskill
• Multiple sources exist that "appear" as an awareness source

How I'm trying to be aware?

• I find the sources that help me to be aware
• I get involved with the sources
• I learn and understand what these sources have to say and offer
• I keep asking myself
• What I'm aware of here?
• What should I be aware of here?
• What I'm not aware of here?
• Being aware of the different ideologies, thoughts, and schools in
• Software Testing & Engineering
• Software Engineering
• and, its businesses ...

Being Contemporary

Why it is a challenge?

• If I'm not contemporary
• I may not fit well for the needs of today's industry and business
• I will have content, experience, and skills
• But, I may not be able to offer them in a way it is expected
• My practice, thoughts, and mindset will appear as not matching or not aligning with the organization or/and stakeholders
• To an engineer,
• This is an everyday challenge!
• The landscape of technology changes so fast, that upskilling is a necessity
• Being adaptive and upskilling is a necessity for remaining contemporary
• How to be a specialist? How to remain a specialist while being a generalist?
• How to be the contemporary and T-shaped full-stack engineer that the industry looks for?

How I'm trying to be contemporary?

• I don't see the programming languages, tools, platforms, libraries, architecture patterns, and business as contemporary
• But these are byproducts of what defines -- being contemporary
• And these changes with time and problems to be solved
• There are no defined and particular ways to be contemporary
• Hence it is a challenge!
• For today, in my opinion, there is no solution to be contemporary in Software Engineering
• And, being contemporary is not a problem to solve
• It cannot be solved
• Being contemporary means evolving, adapting, and growing in the environment -- to the need or to the need created and manifested
• It is a context
• Who is fit to the context with the value expected to add, will have a better opportunity
• Growing and adapting with time by learning the day's engineering problem and drawing a solution, is a headlight in the journey which shows what is contemporary
• I focus here
• I will try to be aware and upskill consistently here
• Being aware and evaluating how the business and money are getting tabulated in the balance sheet at the workplace
• It is a critical detail and skill needed after certain years in the industry for one
• If not known, one may not pivot to a better position and opportunities for being contemporary and see [and get] its benefits
• Being contemporary in what area?
• One has to figure out what are her/his areas to be aware of to be contemporary
• This is another set of problems to identify
• Is the T-shaped full-stack engineer a contemporary term today?
• I do not think so!
• What fills in the T-Shape and the Stack changes consistently for the need and to the need created
• Meet people in your areas; network with them
• Also meet people who are not part of your area
• Talk! Network
• See what you can catch here and learn

Upskilling

Why it is a challenge?

• I do not want to remain in the same learning, role, and earning
• Status Quo is not possible here
• All who are on the payroll need consistent and pragmatic upskilling, today
• Upskilling in Software Testing & Engineering has always been under debate in my last 17 years
• The practice is different within teams in an organization
• The understanding and practice between two testers in a team are not close, forget being the same
• What to practice in Software Testing?
• Testing?
• Automation?
• The blend of every role in Software Development?
• This confusion is being fostered here
• This confuses and gives the space for arguments and not a healthy discussion
• Eventually who are getting better identity and benefit, her/his thoughts get promoted in that place
• And, more likely these thoughts and practices get followed
• Does this influences the people who are practicing Software Testing?
• Information is abundant today on the web for Software Testing
• As said whose content gets better likes, reposts, and shared, that information gets more visibility
• How I consume this, influences my upskilling
• Few of my friends moved from Software Testing to different roles
• Maybe your friends too in your org and team
• Does this challenge your aspiration to continue in Software Testing & upskilling here?
• I get calls from the training startups asking to switch to other roles saying Software Testing has hit the roof
• Further, they try to influence me by saying
• No career progression in Software Testing
• I cannot make money
• I can make money if I move to different roles where I do full-time coding
• I can grow in my career and move to different positions
• And more ...
• We have the people who say to not choose software testing
• This influences those who are fresh, experienced, and finding rough times in the practice of Software Testing
• For example, how many times do I speak and hear about the Test Design?
• It is one of the most ignored, unaware, and unspoken areas of Software Testing
• This is one example of where to upskill

How I'm trying to upskill?

• One of the strengths of a Software Test Engineer is to not get easily influenced
• I get lots of factors and people who influence me to their interests and intents
• As a Software Test Engineer, I have to pick anything upon questioning and scrutiny
• This is one skill that I try to upskill everyday
• To upskill, I see a determined self as a need for the first
• The key area of upskilling is the unlearning part
• Knowing what to unlearn is not evident most of the time
• In the journey, I discover what I should unlearn
• The faster I discover, I help myself to save time
• I evaluate where I stand on the path of -- where I want to continue my journey
• I do it consistently
• While I do this, I classify the areas of my upskilling
• I observe,
• For every 18 months the list in this area gets outdated and updated as well
• This is like the tests getting retired or taken off the execution list, while the new ones are added
• I collaborate with the community and people who can help me to upskill
• This is not a straight and simple task
• I unlearn a lot
• I fail a lot
• But, importantly I learn in this journey and it builds me with an experience
• I share the learning I make here with the software testing communities
• I have a map, territory, and details of where should I be upskilling for the next 6 months
• I refer to Open Source works which is consumed by the tech organizations
• I refer to how tech organizations are building their services
• I identify the layer of testabilities in the technologies
• I refer to tech blogs and books, and I relate them with the help of programming
• I do more here
• My map, territory, and what to explore keep refining and get updated every 6 months

Being "the match and approachable"

Why is it a challenge?

• For first I should be visible and identifiable that I'm a match
• How to be so?
• How do I build myself to be approachable?
• After a certain point in the career, 
• One can navigate further only if she or he is seen as approachable
• My words, thoughts, what I speak and write, and how I respond, all of these can set a different tone and personality for the stakeholders
• This can give an image of me that I'm actually not
• In fact, those who are with me  at work and in communities for years can frame a different image of me
• This is a tough ask
• Perceptions of stakeholders and what stakeholders need, influences in what and how they perceive me for -- Am I approachable?
• We will have a gap here no matter what
• How do I bridge the approachability with the people with whom I want to associate and work? This matters!
• Whether it is a job or association or organization, what primarily differs are
• The people, culture, and how I associate with them and their expectations
• This changes the dimensions of how approachable and visible I'm in their perceptions

How I'm trying to be "the match and approachable"?

• I try to understand the expectations and needs of the stakeholders
• The needs and expectations are two different sets in my experience
• I consistently work on my communication and how I share my thoughts
• Also, I keep watch on the words I use in a given context knowing who all are in the discussion
• Communication is not just spoken and written words and language
• Being practical, pragmatic, and empathetic helps to an extent
• By upskilling, I try to balance the equation of "the match"
• By being approachable and contemporary
• I learn to know the people, organizations, and communities with whom I want to associate, work and grow
• I learn to be aware and have awareness so that I'm focused
• This is not a cycle; all these happen in parallel and drive each other
• Awareness
• Being Contemporary
• Upskilling
• Being "the match and approachable"
• Being focused

Being Focused

Why it is a challenge?

• There are distractions outside and inside
• We want to fulfill and meet someone's perception and expectation
• 
  
• The changes that we see every day in the space where we work and at the family end
• It will have an impact on the focus and awareness I want to be with
• Every day I work to keep my focus and awareness to be fit and healthy
• So that I can identify and mitigate the distractions
• Having mental and physical health balanced is crucial

How I'm trying to be focused?

• I'm learning to prioritize and decide what I have to work upon
• By improvising and developing the skills of having and using:
• The clarity, decision-making, and accomplishing the milestones that I set
• Goals with the timelines and milestones
• Not skipping or postponing my priorities and losing sight of what I should be focusing
• I have a daily check on my focus on what I have gotten into
• I evaluate and align with it
• I use multiple and ideate with the strategies to be focused and evaluate the same
• And, I tell myself it is okay when I fail
• But, I look for the lessons when I fail and why I failed
• I do not give up unless it is a necessity

Click here for returning to the blog post:

• The Common Challenges as a Software Tester and How I Overcome -- Part 4
• Business and Software Testing: The Top 5 Challenges I See Today -- Part 4B
• Project and Software Test Engineering: The Top 5 Challenges I See Today -- Part 4C

The Common Challenges as a Software Tester and How I Overcome -- Part 4

 

In the blog series, the last blog post is on mentoring and a mentor.  Read it here.  Find and have mentors who will help you transform into a better person and professional consistently.

The next question I had from Trending in Testing is -- "What are the common challenges that you face as a Software Tester?  How do you overcome them?".

Without challenges, there is nothing to accomplish; this is one of my consistent learning.  One has to embrace the challenges.  If one sees no challenges, it is time to reflect and ask what one is up to.

Let me pick my top three areas that I see as a priority and brief the five challenges for me in each area for today:

1. Practice
• Software Testing Practice: The Top 5 Challenges I See Today -- Part 4A
2. Business
• Business and Software Testing: The Top 5 Challenges I See Today -- Part 4B
3. Project
• Project and Software Test Engineering: The Top 5 Challenges I See Today -- Part 4C

Inspiration and the Mentor Who Guided Me -- Part 3

 

Here is the first blog post of this series where I share how I started my Software Testing career.  I continue with the next question in this blog post.   The second question from Trending in Testing is -- "Who is your inspiration or mentor to guide you towards your journey?".

To start, I will thank my fellow testers and programmers with whom I worked and working today.  They influence my practice to get better each time.  I continue to learn from them.

People and Networking

I had just stepped into the second year of my Software Testing career.  One evening, I went to the desk of my friend and colleague Kantharaja MP.  He was reading the blog Thinking Tester by Shrinivas Kulkarni.  I got curious and asked what it is.  I did not know what the blog is then.  He explained to me what the blog is.  I got to know Shrinivas Kulkarni, James Bach, Pradeep Soundararajan, Ashok T, Rahul Verma, and Michael Bolton from the blog of Shrini.

Further, I got to know Vipul Kocher, Rahul Mirakur, Meeta Prakash, Ben Simo, Scott Barber, Gerald Marvin Weinberg, Martin Fowler, and Dr. Cem Kaner.  I connected with these practitioners and started to observe their practice.  Thanks, Kantharaja MP.

As I continued, I met Ajay Balamurugadas, Santhosh Tuppad, Parimala Hariprasad, and more friends who joined this network.

I'm continuing to connect with practitioners every day.  I interact, I observe.  I'm learning from each person with whom I interact.  I'm learning by observing the work of practitioners with whom I do not interact in person.

Mentor and Mentoring

I see, we must set out to find the mentor in our journey!  Find your mentors.  Yes, I said mentors and not a mentor.

My Mentor

I did not have a mentor.

I wish, I had a mentor who could connect, understand and help me to be competent, and know the craft, industry, and skills.  I continued to practice and learn from my mistakes, and by observing other practitioners.

I was seen as fun and the topic of fun for my attire, how I spoke and I write the English.  This made me distant from people whom I approached seeking help.  Today, I understand, could be this is the help I was offered for being better and I feel good about it.  I continue to respect them.  These people have inspired me to practice better.  I silently observed how they practiced and I experimented to develop my ways to practice.

I seek and step up to learn from all people when I see that, I can learn from a person or they can help me to learn.  This is doing good for me!

Today, I seek the help of people in the community by approaching them for their suggestions and guidance.  I give the credits and say their name in public and this is important.  I apply the suggestion, guidance, and what I learn from this appropriately based on the need and demand of context.

Ravisuriya as a Mentor

Today, 

• I want to be a mentor who understands the mentee and assists in the practice
• I want to connect with a mentee and listen

I understand,

• Each person is unique and comes with different
• emotions
• mindset
• attitude
• family situations
• personal life situations
• physical health conditions
• mental health conditions
• aspirations
• problems witnessed, and 
• connecting frequency levels
• and, it varies every day with a person

I try to connect, listen, learn, and assist where I can.  I'm a jovial person but at the same time, I'm committed and disciplined when it comes to practice and working.  I see the fun where we all enjoy and get involved in the learning, practice, and work.

Working with a Mentee

I do not associate and work with a mentee by seeing:

• her or his social identity
• how his or her English is
• how she or he appears in dressing
• how she or he socializes and opens up to conversing  

All these are needed in the professional life of a Software Engineer.  I do not deny it.  These have to be groomed every day.  Today, I want to and will dress better than I did in the early 2000s.  I speak!  I express what I have, feel and think, and communicate.

But, it is not a mandate to me for listening to a person (mentee) and get started unless I can't make enough time to assist.  These all will change gradually when one sees self and puts in efforts to get better.  And, a mentor has a role to play here as well.

If mocked for this, probably the mentee or whoever wants to be a mentee will build the distance and more barriers.  This will disturb the communication and relationship between the mentor and the mentee.  All have different conditions and environments in which we grew up and it has an influence on a person (mentee and mentor).

I look for how serious, disciplined, and committed is the mentee in progressing where she or he wants to aspire.  I see the communication is consistent in whatever form between the mentee and mentor.  By the way, communication is not English; the spoken language is one of the mediums through which we communicate.  And, English is one medium to communicate in the communication.

I try to see how can I assist and to what extent.  If I can, I will assist; if I do not have the skills to assist, I will try to connect them with other practitioners who can help better than me.  I talk and make sure we smile together in discussions.

I do not make fun of a person who asked for help and assistance.  I wish no others undergo what I went through.

Find your Mentors

Having a mentor helps very much! 

Find your mentors. Have more than one mentors who have

• the different thought processes,
• ideologies,
• thinking style and pattern,
• different experiences in the area of your practice,
• contrasting questions and approaching ways to learn and solve a problem,
• practitioners of different roles in your field of practice and work,
• practitioners who are not from your field of practice and work,
• and, now you continue to add more to this list ...

Most of the time one will fall into the trap of having a mentor who has got similar thought process and ideology.  This is good.  But, it is never enough to see the perceptions of your subject, work, and practice.

Connect to people of different ages and more importantly who have gone through what you are going through and also who have not gone through it.  

You and your mentor should be able to connect and offer what you both can exchange in return.  Mentorship is a relationship and a partnership where you share and receive.

I try to learn consistently that, the mentor does not have to be older in age and industry experience than I have.  A mentor is one who is able to give and share what I'm looking for in the journey and thereby helps to grow and transform me into a better version each time.

Find your mentors!  Connect to them.

How I Paved my Path into Software Testing! -- Part 2

 

I did not want to cut short sharing my experience for the below question.  I want to write what I want, to share about my journey to my first Software Testing job.  The question from Trending in Testing: -- "Could you please share your story about how you paved your path into Software Testing?"

College and Job Hunt

In 4^th semester, I decided to take Software Testing as my job.  I practiced Java 2 then, and using Core Java is one of my skills.  But, in college, we were said not to pick Software Testing as a career and job but instead to pick programming as a job.  The way I debugged my own code, it showed me that I’m doing better in testing each time.

On graduating B.E. in the year 2005, I walked to the public library to read the Times Ascent every Wednesday. I made a paper booklet that fitted my pocket and I wrote the email-id of companies who published (advertised) the openings and hiring for Software Engineers. All the openings advertised were for experienced software engineers.  I made note of all these email-id published in the Times of India's, Times Ascent. I hardly remember any call for freshers then on Times Ascent.  I did write a cold email to every advertisement for a Software Engineer job published in Times Ascent.

I walked to Software Companies in Bengaluru, asking for the email-id of the HR or email-id to share my fresher resume. I noted them in the booklet I had in my pocket. I gave the hard copy of my resume to the front office staff and asked them to share it with HR. Also, I mailed my resume later and asked for an interview opportunity saying how I will add value though I'm a fresher. I did not hear back!

Then, browsing at the internet centre was on the 52 KBPS modern telephone line and priced at 40 to 45 INR per hour. I had to mail around 30 to 45 individual emails in an hour with that choking internet. I had a credit account in the internet center as I extended 15 to 20 minutes each time, and it cost me 25 INR more. Today, do we have internet centers today in cities?  We do it all on a smartphone now most time.

Interview and My First Job

Those were the days that saw 6000+ freshers in a walk-in drive.  On one Wednesday, I saw an advertisement in Times Ascent from Datacard Software India Pvt. Ltd., looking for senior and lead engineers in Java. I wrote an email and shared my resume saying I'm a fresher and can use Java to program. I did not hear back from Datacard. 

After two months, I got a call from Radhika Muralidharan, the HR head of Datacard, India, asking if I was available for giving the interview. I said, YES!  

The first round was Java programming, and it had ten programs. I wrote the programs, all ten programs; I could see the confidence in me. I got a call after a week for the second round.  

In the second round, the interview panel had Srinivasan Rao the MD of Datacard Software India, and Vasu, the engineering manager. The questions were on Linked List and Double Linked List. I had the idea for these Data Structures; I wrote the programs for traversing the list and nodes.  But, I was not pleased with the logic, and I took 30+ minutes for two questions. The questions were about my logic, and I said, "it does not look good to me". 

This is the feedback I received in this round -- "You are good in Core Java; now you will have to work on Data Structures and optimize the same".   I acknowledged and accepted it.   But, I was confident in the way how I tested the logic I wrote for Linked List and Double Linked List and how I reasoned my logic is not a good one and why so.  I was said to leave as I did not meet the expectation.  I was not happy!  I practiced the data structures better.  I did not even know that data structures are a need and it is most expected in the interviews, then.

I continued my job hunt in walk-ins that saw 6000+ freshers. Three weeks later, I got a call from Radhika Muralidharan. She asked if I'm still looking out for a job, and if yes can I collect the offer letter at 4:30 PM. I said YES!

I was 30 minutes early for my interviews and on the day to collect the offer letter. Radhika spoke to me and asked to be seated in the meeting room. After 10 minutes, Srinivasan Rao came to the meeting room with an offer letter. He said, "What if I offer you the role of Testing?"

Ah! I needed a job. I wanted to be in Software Testing. I was offered a job in Software Testing. I said, "Sir, I will be happy, and I will do my best."  

He said, "Your skills are unique; you and we can benefit from your testing. Can you join on 6th July?".   I said, "I will start tomorrow." I still remember how Radhika and Srinivasan smiled at me when I said that.

I'm happy Software Testing choose me.  I'm happy that I got a job, and I got what I wanted as my job! I'm a Software Test Engineer by choice.  I'm glad, Software Testing is still holding me and uplifting me each day.  I'm a student of Software Testing & Engineering.

I Convey My Thanks and Gratitude

I thank Radhika for looking at my email and for the opportunity she gave me to give my interview. If she had not marked my email to call me for an interview, I don't know!  I thank Srinivasan Rao for the opportunity he gave me. I remember these two people, and they are in my thoughts. I'm grateful for the confidence they had in hiring me. Thank you, Radhika and Srini.  This job helped me to help my family.  I asked my mother to stop making agarbatti's and relax; she was doing it to support the family.  My first salary was 13000 INR.

I had four rupees in my pocket that evening. I looked for a coin telephone box on MG Road. I called my mother to tell her I got a job. up  I called my childhood friend Kantharaju to say I got a job; he picked me that day back home.  

I was on a project the next day with requirements, test cases, and design documents. The tasks were defined with timelines to deliver. Kalyan Kumar, the project manager gave me the book "Effective Methods for Software Testing" by William E Perry. He marked the chapters to complete reading in a week. That is the first book that I read to know and understand the approach and process in software testing.

I started my Software Testing career happily.  I m a Software Tester Engineer by choice.  I believe, Software Testing chose me and I'm grateful for it.  I'm a student of Software Testing and continuing my practice confidently amidst all the chaos that is surrounding Software Testing as a practice and career, today.  

And, this is how I started my Software Testing career.

Questions from Trending in Testing -- Part 1

 

This series of blog posts was supposed to be an article for a testing community.  I'm sharing it here on my blog as I could not finish it on time and respond to the moderator of the community.

On reading these questions, I wrote a draft for it.  I saw what I wrote could not fit into one post.  I tried to make it into one post.  But, doing so, I felt, I'm not doing justice to myself, to Treding in Testing for asking me to write, and to the reader who will be reading it.

As a writer or author of an article or blog, for first I have to enjoy my writing and its content, right?  I have to feel it.  Only then, the readers might feel what I write.  I did not get this feeling when I tried to fit it into one post.  Because, the questions were so contentful in itself. How to bring the value for those good questions?

I decided, I should be giving the credits to Trending in Testing and to make these each questions into a blog post, so that I do justice for the questions, to Trending in Testing, and to myself.

Search for Trending in Testing and read the interview of other practicing Software Test Engineers. Thank you, Trending in Testing for asking me these questions and any credits for this will be to you.

I was asked the below questions and I'm making each question as one blog post.

1. Could you please share your story about how you paved your path into Software Testing?
• Blog: How I Paved my Path into Software Testing! -- Part 2
2. Who is your inspiration or mentor to guide you towards your journey?
• Blog: Inspiration and the Mentor Who Guided Me -- Part 3
3. What are the common challenges that you face as a Software Tester? How do you overcome them?
• Blog: Common Challenges as a Software Tester; How I Overcome it -- Part 4
• Blog: Practice: The Top 5 Challenges I See For Today -- Part 4A
• Blog: Business: The Top 5 Challenges I See For Tdoay -- Part 4B
• Blog: Project: The Top 5 Challenges I See For Today -- Part 4C
4. What can people in the same role do to upskill themselves so that they can keep pace with the changing trends?
• Blog: To Be Contemporary in Software Testing & Engineering -- Part 5
5. According to you, what are the important factors to consider for becoming successful in Software Testing?
• Blog: What is Success to me in Software Testing? -- Part 6
6. What are the upcoming trends in Software Testing that our audience should know about?
• Blog: Difference between Software Testing and Upcoming Trends in Software Test Engineering -- Part 7
7. What advice would you like to give to aspiring testing enthusiasts regarding how they can pave their way in the industry and be successful?
• Blog: The Advice to Test Engineer in Me -- Part 8

IME Test Model - RICH VIP MUST PLUG AND HE PUTS LOCK

I was approached by my fellow Software Testing practitioners - Shristy and Suchismita for knowing and to have better structure for testing the IME - Input Method Editor.  On listening to their context of current practice and what they wanted to know by testing, I learned for first they need the essential design components of today's IME.

I had to make sure that, this learning is fair enough to start and from here they can assist themselves. On brainstorming together for few minutes, we learned, it is good for a start to have the key integral design components of IME. Have this, the testing can be channeled well in those areas as and how the context demands on priority.

Now we had listed down the IME design components fairly sufficing to start. What are the tests to be done on the app under the IME design components? It depends on the context of testing.  The testers here were able to identify the tests based on the context needs. But the challenge for them was -- knowing how to approach and categorize the IME app.  Now it is addressed with this IME Test Model, tester can help quickly to visualize and pick up the tests under the hood of respective design component of IME.

Credits are for Shristy and Suchismita for pairing up with me and in framing the mnemonic of this Test Model and categorization of it.  This can be referred and used for Android IME and iOS IME apps testing.