Happy New Year wishes to all my readers.
It is exactly one year since James Bach officially hired me to represent Satisfice Inc in India. James Bach wrote in his post Satisfice India, "A Satisfice tester, (as my brother Jon, at Quardev will tell you from working for me for 18 months) is expected to be quantum cut above normal testers. We achieve that not through wishful thinking, but through study and practice. A Satisfice tester is always ready to be challenged about his work".
So here is my progress report for 2007 that you might want to go through. When I wrote the report, (which took me a long time to compile, think, laugh and cry as I remembered each moment of 2007) I understood why I think I am one of the most passionate software tester without excluding the fact that I am living among other passionate testers. I finally feel eligible of what credit I got one year before, this day.
-- Pradeep Soundararajan - http://testertested.blogspot.com - +91-98451-76817 - pradeep.srajan@gmail.com
"Pradeep's first language is not English--his first language appears to be testing." -- Michael Bolton
21 comments:
Tester Tested,
This list(may not the complete list) educated me on how much a tester should learn and execute to be a skilled tester. I am happy that you exposed your failures too. I beleive you have the power of converting those failures into success. You were a self certified tester and now you did that again with your progress card.
Thanks.
SathishKumar Chinnappa - The Indian Tester
@Sathish,
Thanks for your comment. No one is educated from something, they just learn to educate themselves from anything they go through and you just did that, probably.
Wow! what a compilation...felt like watching a documentary on something like "A year in the life of a Software Tester" - who is also a passionate learner, educator.
Thanks for this inspiring report...
Sangeeta
@Sangeeta,
The compliation did take me more than a day's effort - to collect, organize, think, re-think, and publish it.
I hadn't seen something like the report published by other testers and after I published, it kindled interest to one of my student to publish his report. I hope I have and give a good start for testers who spend their valuable time reading my blog.
Inspirations do bring change in people, approach, etc. This ispiration could come from any person, any event.
I have been into testing for 3 years now but last year something happened that changed my approach to testing. My husband was not keeping well and the docotor asked for some tests. One of his scanning reports diagnosed cancer cells and gave us the shock of life. After running around for further tests, second opinions, etc. when the final report from an oncologist came in, it said the cells were not cancerous. Tuberculosis was what came out of final report. The first scan report called the infected cells as “non-caseating”. This “non” took us on a roller coaster ride for 3 weeks. I decided to sue the lab, the technician or the person who prepared the report but… Not sure whether it was a human error or software defect but definitely a human being caused it and it affected the whole family.
This inspired me to look more deeply into what I was doing and lot more. I am still a beginner into testing but I am learning.
I wish to point out one more thing, though I have being reading many blogs/posts for quite sometime now, this is the first time I have replied. I wonder why I have not seen females write or reply to techical posts. Have I missed them or do they write using mysterious names?
@Sangeeta,
Thanks for sharing your story with me and my blog readers.
You have been on the side where you realize how important it is to find as many bugs as possible. There might be some other Sangeeta who went through similar experience but did not realize the importance of finding a lot of bugs. So it is not just the events but about being conscious about the environment around us that helps us to build focus and develop ourselves.
I wonder why I have not seen females write or reply to techical posts. Have I missed them or do they write using mysterious names?
Meeta Prakash, Test Manager of Infosys writes a blog http://testingthetestable.blogspot.com
and there are other females picking up, too.
Outside India, you might want to go through Karen Johnson's blog, Elizabeth Hendrickson's Quality Tree, Rosie Sherry's blog, QA Girl blog and a lot more that you might discover through search.
I wish, if you'd really not someone else face the situation you faced, you blog and make others conscious. Also writing helps you get better at testing and I am sure you might want to try that.
Start of 2008 is a good time and look there is an event demanding you to blog, so go ahead.
Happy New Year Pradeep!
And a very innovative way of saying goodbye to the year, hoping to keep on learning from you more.
Cheers
Neeraj
Thanks, Pradeep. I have noted down your suggestion.
I will go through the blogs you mentioned in your post above.
Trying to search for females who blog has nothing to do specifically about the gender but it does give a feeling of pride; similar to the one when we see Indians doing well at international level :-)
Apart from the your testing Job, Maybe you should learn to practice more of the humility that you claim to have. Which Software tester at Microsoft were you referring to in ur blog? Michael Hunter? There happens to be 2 Michael hunters here at Microsoft.
About Trivium Systems....If you are really smart as you have mentioned in your blog, you would have been some place else!
Regards
Shine
@ Shine,
Thanks for your comment. As a practice of humility, I approved your comment :)
@ Other readers,
Its a rare opportunity to see a tester cry in pain and agony in public over someone else's success
and Shine has given you an opportunity to witness it. Enjoy!.
Shine says, "About Trivium Systems....If you are really smart as you have mentioned in your blog, you would have been some place else!"
I think Shine would say to Bill Gates ( as Shine indicates that he/she works in Microsoft )
"Bill if you were really smart you would have started Google".
Shine also says, "Which Software tester at Microsoft were you referring to in ur blog? Michael Hunter? There happens to be 2 Michael hunters here at Microsoft."
If Shine doesn't know which Michael Hunter I am talking about I am convinced Shine doesn't know much about testing and doesn't know to search over internet.
Also, I think I wrote about my success in my blog and not in someone else's and hence I am humble.
If someone enjoyed Shine's comment than my reply to it they Shine too.
I sometimes wonder how contradicting a person's name is with their virtues.
A befitting reply to shine ….. nd people with similar views.
It shows that anything you come across can affect you in two ways + ve or –ve, it depends on your attitude. It usual human tendency to feel jealous but if one want to excel in any profession or may be as a good human being the first thing he/she should learn is to appreciate others.
@Anonymous,
As you said it is important to appreciate others. This craft can get better if we learn to appreciate each other. I am doing my best with that regards to publish such comments ( which I could have not published ) to show that I do respect their views and reply to it with what I feel about their comment.
Waow... that inspires me to have a report which again improvises me in the future.
Thanks for sharing the wonderfull report.
..am so eager to have a coffee session with you to learn something exciting about software testing.unfortunatley Distance is the problem.And am ready to shell even more than the coffee price if you let me know the way to communicate with you effectively.
Hope to hear from you Pradeep.
PRASHANT KATTI
@Prashanth Katti,
I remember interacting with you over e-mail and you could also add me in Skype : pradeep_soundararajan and could call me once we agree on a mutual good time.
If I had thought distance was the problem, I couldn't have become a dear student of James Bach and Michael Bolton.
Thanks for sharing. It is quite inspirational. Can you tell more about the upcoming testing book by gerald weinberg? I had no idea. He is one of my favorite writers. that would be looked forward to with great anticipation.
@sschims,
I am sure Jerry's book will be one of the greatest anyone might have read.
Jerry's book on software testing got me more excited on software testing. That's all I can say about it in public before the book is released.
hey pradeep
just liked the reply you gave to Shine ..... Looks like the person works for Microsoft and still a novice in the world.
Mr/Ms Shine ....I guess it was too reactive a note from you. Not being a preacher but I feel that such forums are for responding and not reacting.
Hoping to read more intelligent remarks from you in future :)
goodluck
Hey Pradeep,
Tester Tested what a beautiful name. Impressed with the way you put the contents, I started reading about your blogs from the past 2 days and still when I come to office this is the first thing I start with. Till now I didn't read about any blogs but now am curious to read all your comments.
I am a newbee for testing field, so I hope I get loads of inputs from your Blog. This is the first time I am ever writing a blog.
I liked your report card for 2007, I just wonder how a person can remeber things happened in the whole year. I don't know where my days are running out....Great work
Thanks ;)
@NagendraGP,
Thanks for your kind words. I hope you derive benefit out of this blog and also help other testers derive benefit.
Also, I hope I can be of value to the time you are spending.
LOL Pradeep! I just happened to read this post and happened to notice the mention of Trivium Systems. I totally agree with Shine about the fact that if you were indeed smart then you would have been some place else and cannot agree more. Trivium is hardly a place for smart people to stick around :)
@ Siddharth,
Thanks for your comment. If you read the next year report you would realize I grew a little more smart :)
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