Even though many of our graduates will have progressed in their careers since completing a case study, they are still of interest to students who wish to gain an understanding of the world of work.

• Understanding the Platform functional features via manual exploration of the system
• Creation and maintainance of test artefacts and their relationship through the life cycle of the release (i.e. from Requirements --> To Live Deployments).
• Design and execute test plans/strategies including assignment of activities to other testers, tracking progress, defect triage, reporting issues, developing status reports and providing recommendations to project stakeholders that represent QA’s assessment of product quality and release readiness to the customer.
• Liaising with various teams and Stakeholders to gain and/or to share information as may be required about the test processes and techniques and to present progress and automation applicability.

• Test product requirements and design documents for quality, testability and analyze gaps in technical specifications, use cases, and test case library.
• Design, develop, update, and execute test procedures to detect software defects, verify resolutions in software, and updates to specifications.
• Identify, initiate and lead process ‘continuous improvement’ initiatives and root cause analysis to prevent defects.
• Analyze, document, and report status, test results, and testing progress per the test plan and key performance indicators related to quality.
• Performing QAT, SIT, UAT, Parallel/Cutover testing, Dress rehearsal and Production Testing including exploratory testing as required.
• Testing on data feeds and Spool reports from Data Warehousing Tools for Regulatory / Compliance / Finance /General Ledger reporting.
• Reconciliation Testing including data mapping, cleansing, validation and verification covering legacy and new system
• Creation, editing and organisation of test artefacts such as test cases/scripts, test plans and test suites and update and Re-use existing test cases as per release cycle and planning.
• Creating a regression test suite for the baselined version of the platforms by designing an Automation framework from scratch involving multiple projects and multiple pay platforms/environment.
• Performing API Testing to verify RESTful services using JMeter and SOAP UI(Groovy scripting).

I like the fact that I am a Software Tester and I am very passionate in assuring the quality of a project I am involved in. I like this job, because it is process oriented. Meaning that I get an opportunity to work from analysing the requirement documents to writing test plans, test cases, testing the application, logging defects, retesting, preparing reports and finally testing in production as well. Therefore, I am involved from the very beginning to the end of the software development life cycle (SDLC) process. I like this.
Another reason is I like to find defects. I enjoy logging defects. The more defects I find, the happier I am.
I love to be in a team where quality products will be delivered.
As a Consultant, I get a lot of opportunities to interact with people (not only peers, I discuss with Stakeholders). I need to know all parts of the application which they are going to test. So I need to discuss with clients too to get more information on domain knowledge. This way I meet many people to share knowledge.
My work helps stakeholders sleep better.

You need to have a good exposure to the latest tools and technologies and should be a Student for Life and tinkerer to learn all these.
Every day brings in a new challenge and need to improve your overall skills by constant learning and use the technical and competency skills and experience in a different capacity than in the past.
You should be ready to take more responsibilities and should be more competent .
Need to be a very well organised person and this role involves exceptional management skills.
Testing at times could be a demanding job especially during the release of code. A software tester must efficiently manage workload, have high productivity, exhibit optimal time management, and organization skills.
You need to thrive under pressure and perform to your full ability.
You need to work in a team and communicate well with others.
The products and services offered by different clients you work for will be interesting and exciting.

Today, a single software defect that is not caught before it is released can cost millions of dollars to fix or cause millions of pounds of errors. Good software testers are in greater demand as more and more companies have recognized this fact. My main strength is my passion for getting things done, and getting them done well. I enjoy challenges and solving problems and I feel that this is exactly what Software testing is - solving them using relevant technology.

This fact and my enjoyment of computer peripherals in general, is what have led me to seek a career in this field. It is a dynamic area, where hard graft, team work and an understanding of social and environmental responsibilities is needed, and rewarded. It keeps people mobile around the world to be involved in some of the most exciting projects for the betterment of the society. It is varied and challenging and offers an exciting career option for the people like me who has the drive and determination and a passion to excel in all walks of life.

Technical : Java,Unix,Groovy,Cucumber,Selenium Web Driver, Jmeter, SOAP UI,Quality Centre,SQL,ORACLE,Informix, UNIX ( Shell Scripting)

Competency : Attention to detail, Active listening, Good communication, Analytical /Lateral thinking, Team work, Leadership, Self Starter

Royal Mai - Jan 16 - Present
Harrods bank - Aug 14 - Dec 15
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer - May 13 - July 14
Hill Dickinson LLP - Dec 11 - May 13
Bank of America - July 11 - Dec 11
BetFred - Feb 11 - July 11
3 Hutchinson - Oct 10 - Feb 11

I see myself progressing in testing working across diverse platforms learning new skills to the benefit of future clients. I find this role as a consultant as extremely interesting and motivating. I can see many challenges lying ahead of me, which I am eager to experience. And therefore, I am willing to invest my next few years’ time learning all aspects of the job towards professional advancement.

To sum up – I want to be an expert in software testing and utilize the knowledge to contribute in other areas apart from my regular responsibilities like taking part in SQA internal audits or helping other teams to prepare for external audits OR design Automation frameworks OR become an SME (Subject Matter Expert) for performance testing OR contributing in stream lining existing software development process.

Not everyone can test. One should need good analytical skills to become a Software Tester. You need to be good at communication skills for reporting and convincing other.
Salary may be less when you start your career. Experienced Testers are earning same level of package compared to Developers. Many companies are offering much more salaries to the Automation Testers compared to Developers.
It’s an old myth in industry that one who can’t code can be a Software Tester. Record and playback days were gone. It’s an automation age. An Automation Tester writes code to automate the scripts.
Growth – Tester will become Test Lead, Project Lead, Automation Architect, Test Manager etc., Ultimately everyone reaches to the manager level.

My Personal advice:
Set up a cause that you care about which should make you do impossible things and should give you a spring of motivation that will never dry.
Have a big dream which inspires you and stretches your ability beyond your comfort zone. Be hungry to run your own race without comparing with others and take one more step and let go of the past.

I always believe in the following phrases:
Nothing is impossible , the word impossible itself says ' I M POSSIBLE'.
Hard work never fails.