Interview with the QAS Trainings Testing School Manager of Softengi
Igor Sharinsky, QAS Trainings Testing School Manager, Softengi:
“The basic idea is to make learning the software testing fun”.
Softengi is quite famous among Ukrainian IT companies by its software testing specialists, and Enviance project portfolio has born already a generation of professionals known for their commitment to testing.
In May 2014 the efforts of initiative group has led to the birth of testing school in Softengi. After the pilot group release and a start of few new groups, it was clear that the experiment was a success and Softengi had started its own company’s brand – QAS (Quality Assurance as a Service) Trainings testing school.
The testing school team consists of testing specialists, ISTQB certified, recognized speakers of specialized conferences, and even a Ukrainian IT Awards winners in the Quality Assurance category.
Not every school can boast of such a trainers’ team. Igor Sharinsky, QAS Trainings Testing School Manager, tells how the idea of courses appeared, about difficulties they faced at the start and their grand plans.
– Igor, almost all IT companies have software testing specialists. Many of them also like visiting conferences.
Some of them even organize webinars. However, there are scarcely any of those, who organize their own testing schools. How did the idea of QAS Trainings school in Softengi appeared?
We constantly recruit new testing professionals in Softengi, whom we, naturally, search at the market.
Software testing is still not taught at the university, candidates come to an interview usually after courses with some basic knowledge and testing experience. Recently, the candidates were coming with insufficient knowledge level even after courses.
So we wanted to spend minimum time for interviews and have higher level of trained professionals. On the other hand, our test leads and middle and senior level specialists are ready to share experience and knowledge, and thus develop themselves.
Teaching experience is important, because at work you are “hopping” in your own projects and courses is a kind of step aside. Sometimes course participants ask such questions which make even the most experienced professionals to think or “google” for an answer.
– It is well known, that start is the hardest step. Was it hard to make first steps, and which difficulties you have faced at the start?
Out start was quite long process – only preparation took about three months. After realizing that we still want to do it, arose the question: “How to organize everything?”.
None of us had any experience of school establishment and we were doing everything at an intuitive level – right in the field. What we did not expect for sure – so many people willing to learn testing.
Everything was hard. How to assign roles? Who should do what? Absolutely everyone involved in school has worked and continues to work on major projects in Softengi.
Everything from organizing basic logistics and ending with courses promotion and student recruitment we did by themselves.
Now we can consult all beginners in promotion. By our experience, personal contacts and Internet are now helping in the best way.
Visits to universities, posters and meetings there gave virtually zero result. Overall, we estimate 40% of our students coming to us through DOU (Developers of Ukraine) portal, 60% – personal contacts, friends of friends and social networks.
– So, the first May group started training and the rumors that QAS Trainings found a link between the pineapples and testing have rocked the testing world. What is it and how in general goes testing training?
We lead two parallel groups at our courses – evening and weekend. Calling them 1, 2, etc. would be too boring. Therefore, for weekend groups we chose “fruit” names (pineapple, quince), and for evening – “vegetables” (rutabaga, cucumbers).
At the first class, each student receives “junior tester – name – Rutabaga» table sign, for example. It is more interesting for students and easier for teachers to distinguish between groups.
We originally developed the course concept to make learning fun for all parties involved in the process. For the same purpose was brought a rattle-ball waking up listeners falling asleep. These are entertaining moments.
As for practice, for example, at the Web-based applications testing class we divide the group into teams simulating work by Scrum methodology, so they choose a leader for the first time to try their hand at various roles on the project.
Scrum methodology is now quite popular in the IT market, and its knowledge is a competitive advantage of young professionals graduating our school.
- Attendees of testing courses are students or adults? Which is usually a job after which people are coming in testing field?
Exploring the jobs of people coming in software testing is a very exciting topic. We already had several future journalists, for example, guys from UIA magazine, which passengers read on board.
We also had specialists in thermal engineering from Luhansk and Kyiv at our courses. As for the age – the oldest attendee was about 40 years old and the youngest – about 20.
For example, one our attendee works as electronic engineer, has his own business and for the moment we do not fully understand, if he wants to apply the knowledge in the current field or learn a new job.
At the graduation interview we will know more. We do not have any age restrictions – we give the direction of development for all attendees, necessary base, and then everything depends solely on them.
- You conduct the introductory and final interview for all attendees. Was there any memorable moment from interviews?
The most amazing thing: almost all attendees at the first interview ask the same question: “What courses will give me?”
The question made us surprised at first, because the attendee himself comes to us and is supposed to know why he comes and what he wants to get as a result of training. Now we have learned to give an answer. Also in each group we have our own “stars”.
In all senses of the word. Once our attendee was quite well-known athlete, winner of the Olympic team on athletics from Ukraine, a physicist by profession, by the way. He already works now as testing specialist testing in one of the Kyiv IT companies.
– And, finally, QAS Trainings in Softengi graduated few groups of young testing professionals. The next admission is started. What are your future plans?
As we promised, Softengi hired best graduates for work, but we do not leave the rest and help to find their place.
The amount of willing to learn a new profession was so big that we have formed several groups. Now we finish the admission in the next group, which we will graduate and go into a little vacation, then back and continue implementing our plans.
We have big plans, and they include not only testing courses, but also the organization of on-line training for people from other countries (and there are also quite a lot), and even the business community for testers.
Source: Softengi
