Background
My journey as a Quality Assurance engineer began immediately after my university classes ended. Even before officially graduating, I embarked on this career path by joining Likha even before our commencement ceremonies. Only a month into my employment at Likha, I finally received my college diploma.
My journey at Likha was preceded by a six-month internship as a QA engineer for a Singaporean company. This internship, a requirement set by my university, was a treasure trove of practical experience. I dedicated 800 hours, spread across two semesters, to honing my skills. It was a pivotal point in my professional journey, providing a solid foundation for my subsequent role at Likha.
Understanding the landscape
The initial months of transitioning into a QA engineer role at my first corporate job proved to be a significant adjustment period. Moving swiftly from the structured environment of the university to hands-on experience as a QA engineer intern and then suddenly into the realm of professional QA engineering felt like a whirlwind. Yet, I felt a sense of accomplishment with each challenge I faced, knowing I was growing and adapting to this new environment. This transition was not without its difficulties, but these very challenges fueled my motivation and inspired me to keep pushing forward.
Initially, the fear of making mistakes weighed heavily on me, hindering my creativity. However, I soon realized that innovation thrives in an environment where risk-taking and experimentation are encouraged. This shift in mindset allowed me to blossom. I discovered that when individuals are free to explore new ideas, they’re more likely to devise innovative solutions. This character not only facilitated my growth but also led me to uncover novel testing methods and strategies that significantly improved our product quality.
As I progressed in my role, understanding the significance of my contribution to minimizing risks and enhancing customer satisfaction, I prioritized familiarizing myself with the product I was tasked to test when I was new to the field. Adhering to the fundamental principle of QA—ensuring the product aligns with specified requirements—I initially focused on understanding the service and its functionality. This foundational step was crucial in ensuring the accuracy of the expected results of my test executions.
Continuous Learning and Growth
As I strive for ongoing learning and professional advancement, I had the privilege of connecting with incredible individuals and seizing numerous opportunities facilitated by Likha and freee. Within a month of joining Likha, I was fortunate to participate in the Global Spirit event in Japan. It was my first ever international travel, and this experience proved invaluable as I engaged in product demos and met esteemed professionals across diverse fields. Moreover, meeting freee QA engineers in person and our team members from Japan, without our screens in between, was a surreal and enriching experience.
Likha family at NAIA before flight to Japan for the Global Spirit
Continuing on, I was honored with another trip to Japan for a QA Workshop. This workshop covered essential QA concepts such as end-to-end testing, accessibility testing, Bugsnag, Postman, and Compose files. It was led by experienced Software Engineers and QA Engineers from freee in Japan. Through their expertise, I gained insights into new testing strategies and methodologies applicable to my daily tasks.
E2E workshop by the SEQ team in Japan
On another occasion, our team participated in a workshop, and I had the privilege of visiting Japan for the third time. This session provided an opportunity to strengthen our team bonds, which was enhanced by finally working and meeting face-to-face in the same meeting room. During this instance, I gained valuable insights by experiencing our product from the user’s perspective, highlighting the significance of deep familiarity with our service. This deeper understanding enables us to better cater to the needs of our users, facilitating further improvements to our products.
Sisig team in Japan
The journey of learning and seizing opportunities continues beyond those mentioned. Likha provided a series of online training, and the experiences gained thus far remain an ongoing learning journey for me. I firmly believe that every day presents a new opportunity for growth and learning. Embracing this mindset has enabled me to improve in my field with each passing day continually.
Concluding Reflections
Generally, I found great satisfaction as a QA professional in significantly contributing to the project’s quality assurance. Working alongside some of the finest experts in Likha and freee provided invaluable guidance. Each task presented an opportunity for growth, prompting me to continually challenge myself. With every problem solved, my skills expanded, adding to my experience. Embracing challenges and learning from setbacks became essential steps toward progress. Having these things said, I extend my deepest gratitude to Likha and freee for the opportunities bestowed upon me thus far.
Onto the next one!
