tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2844510344016016899.post1204299377495057716..comments2024-03-28T19:36:33.870+13:00Comments on Katrina the Tester: The occupation questionKatrina Clokiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13817473142273516519noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2844510344016016899.post-41029006091977079642015-07-07T21:03:44.452+12:002015-07-07T21:03:44.452+12:00Developers write code to implement an idea.
How c...Developers write code to implement an idea. <br />How close is the implementation to the idea?<br />This is the answer that the testers provides answers to.<br /><br />Secondarily the answers can guide on the areas that one might have to spend time and money in order to bring the implementation closer to the desired result.<br /><br />We also identify actions and steps that might kill somebody and thus help the others fix it before somebody dies Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04314319326711065959noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2844510344016016899.post-62488384891651234032014-11-29T22:36:32.058+13:002014-11-29T22:36:32.058+13:00In the last few years I've had to fill out tho...In the last few years I've had to fill out those immigration forms at least a half dozen times and I ALWAYS write Software Tester! Yet I don't recall any customs official asking me what it was or what it meant to be a software tester (some part of me hopes they would so I could proudly explain it). I don't necessarily believe they /understood/ what I do or what software testing is but it is interesting (maybe sad) that I've never been questioned.<br /><br />As for using the term IT versus Software Testing - I guess it depends on the risk / reward scale. At this point my risk seems low so I keep doing it. Maybe I won't feel the same way if it happens at an inopportune moment. Chris Kensthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07277352650916038561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2844510344016016899.post-10048748343699653432014-06-13T18:35:02.867+12:002014-06-13T18:35:02.867+12:00Completely agree Katrina.
In many ways, I think w...Completely agree Katrina.<br /><br />In many ways, I think we're a victim of the fact that software - and IT in general - remains a kind of magic to those who aren't specifically involved in its creation.<br /><br />I actually had this experience myself when I stumbled across the advert for the Graduate Programme that got me into testing three and a half years ago. Coming from an Arts background, I didn't know that software testing was a thing that people did. I admitted as much in my interview, so I think credit goes to my employers for the fact that they still hired me!<br /><br />The trouble is that those who don't have a technical understanding of how IT systems work assume that you can create software like you can create anything else. When you create a chair, it's pretty apparent to any observer whether or not it works as a chair. It's aesthetic or comfort value may be up for debate, but its functional one is usually apparent immediately.<br /><br />The fact that software systems are infinitely more complex than a chair is part of the problem, but so is the idea that as testers we don't add anything tangible to the pot. Like a carpenter who creates a wooden frame for a chair and an upholsterer who dresses it with cushioning and fabric, laymen understand that programmers contribute the physical realities of software - the code itself.<br /><br />The idea that testers exist to provide information about something which is the responsibility of another breed of professionals is a concept that isn't commonly encountered in other disciplines.<br /><br />For what it's worth though, I think you should go back to writing "software tester" on the immigration cards. It's one small way to spread the word of our profession!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com