NEW YEAR, NEW ADVENTURE ...
HIRZA PIMENTEL ▪ 01/04/2020
I first heard about testing tours from Lisi Hocke’s post. It seems like a great way to meet other testers and grow together. I have always believed in lifelong-learning; but have mostly focused on solo learning from online articles, tutorials, and courses. I have preferred online learning because it offers the flexibility that a mom like me could really use. Can a testing tour perfectly complement my go-to mode of learning? I have wondered about this for some time; but was unsure if it is something I can do. I have never done pairing at work, and I was worried that my introverted personality would make pairing sessions awkward (Do I really want to subject myself and other people to this level of awkwardness?)
I decided to post about my dilemma on a testing group on Slack, that I have always considered my testing lifeline and family. And I was encouraged by other testers (some of whom are also introverts) who have gone or are doing testing tours. Even better, some of them have offered to have a pairing session with me. (Thank you to Parveen, Niranjani, Lisi and Lisa. Looking forward to pairing with each of you).
On the last day of 2019, I had a quick call with Lisi where she talked about her own testing tour, and how it helped her grow as a tester, as well as gain confidence in her testing skills. I was on the exact same boat she was in when she started her tour. I have a number of years of experience in testing (five years of which was a remote role on a team where I was the sole tester); but I feel like I have so much more to learn. The areas of testing, I am not confident in, keep growing and growing --- it’s overwhelming. And I feel like there’s not enough time in the day to make a dent on all the things on my “to learn” list.
I was fortunate that I had that call with Lisi because she understood what has been holding me back and offered the right words. This gave me the boost of confidence to embark on my own testing tour.
And so, I am making this commitment. And it is just a fitting start to the new year that I go on this exciting adventure, with the hopes of meeting people who are passionate about testing, accelerating my career growth, and becoming a better tester. Cheers to developing a tdd habit, learning more about testing in devops, performance testing, security testing and exploratory testing. Wish me luck! Better yet, reach out if you want to join me on this journey.