Rising stars within test automation
At her first job, Houda Doussi never got the opportunity to try her wings within test automation. At System Verification, we support employees who want to become technical specialists. Houda Doussi is now part of our training concept Test Star.
Test Star is an internal training concept for those of System Verification’s employees who want a future career within test automation. The background of the concept is the revolutionary transformation that the quality assurance industry is undergoing where manual testing will be less used in favor of more technical solutions. Test automation is a branch that is expected to grow, because nearly every IT trend such as agile and DevOps, and technologies like machine learning and analytics, depend on test automation to succeed. Therefore, System Verification has launched an internal training program for ambitious manual testers. The program lasts for one year and includes four steps that mix theoretical and practical training. The program is led by Piotr Nestorow, Senior Test Automation Engineer at System Verification.
One of the participants in Test Star is Houda Doussi, a young Test Engineer who studied Computer Engineering at Malmö University and after that had a couple of years at a telecom company where she got introduced to test automation. Unfortunately, she didn’t get the opportunity to learn at that time.
Hooked on Test Automation
Houda Doussi remembers the experience:
“We had some automation projects where we used both Robot Framework and Python, and for me it was a revelation. Wow, this was something for me! It was challenging and inspiring at the same time to see how new functionalities were built. I wanted to learn Jenkins but didn’t get the chance.”
Houda Doussi was hooked, and searched for new career opportunities. At System Verification she found her dream employment and got involved in Test Star directly.
“I saw colleagues who had completed Test Star receive their diplomas, and I wanted it to be me. I am determined to be a Test Automation Engineer and I am very grateful to System Verification who invest in young people like me.”
What is your biggest insight about test automation?
“Test automation is so much more than just knowing program languages. It’s about strategy! For me, it was a stunning insight and it made me even more committed to learning.”
What is the best part about Test Star?
“The teachers are very demanding, because they want us to understand the ‘test automation mind-set’. They push us to solve problems on our own instead of giving the answers. I also appreciate the focus on practical learning and self-studying. We get a lot of tutorials and cases to work with, and we are encouraged to help each other in the group.”
Why is this career step important to you?
“Everything changes so fast within digital business, so you have to hang on and develop your skills continuously. For me, it is crucial to go from manual testing to test automation and it will open up completely new career opportunities.”
What is your advice to manual testers?
“Manual testing is a good starting point that is useful when diving into test automation. I would encourage manual testers to realize that the world is changing, and that we must develop to keep up the pace. Test automation is challenging but awarding.”
Test Star in brief:
- An internal program at System Verification
- Includes: Object Oriented Programming, Test Automation, Load Testing of Web Applications and Continuous Integration
- Exercises are done in Gitlab
- Held by Senior Test Automation Engineers
- A one-year program