Sam Simataa – Mayo Clinic
Having graduated from college with a minor in Computer Science, I ventured into the world of I.T., and landed a position as a Manual Tester. Even though I was satisfied by my passion in advocating for end users and finding bugs, over time I felt the need to dig deeper into QA, and discovered test automation. This felt like a perfect fit: I would still retain my previous QA passions while making use of the technical aspects of my college degree. I found a new job and was thrust into the world of test automation. Shortly thereafter, our QA team was tasked with finding a new test automation framework for an upcoming project. Overwhelmed by my lack of technical abilities, I spent a number of hours researching and comparing test automation frameworks and found that TestCafe (a Node.js end-to-end test automation framework) worked well with the project criteria. I then spent more hours learning and implementing what I was learning about the TestCafe framework. Finding and analyzing bugs found by the automation tool gave me more insights on how to refine test scripts or approach testing User Stories.
With more practice, I began to understand the importance of organizing my code and increasing readability. This allowed me to parse code faster, but also demo sections of my code with ease or explain problematic spots to colleagues more clearly. In doing so, I was able to nurture healthier collaborations with other QA team members and even Developers.
Now reflecting on my first year in test automation, a profound sense of self-confidence has grown from the aforementioned lessons learned. I created the following process for myself when learning new technologies that may seem overwhelming: Learn – Implement – Organize – Collaborate – Repeat. This cycle has allowed me to be a more vocal and open team member and continues to fuel my QA passions.
Sam Simataa, 2021 Technical Presentation, Paper, Presentation
