I'm a year old as a professional today. And if you overlook certain technicalities, I am also a year old at Persistent today. So here's a look at the lessons learnt from the year :)
When I was in school I had decided that I would never ever work in the IT industry. Where was the point, just one more person in the herd of lakhs, instead I thought I would write, bring about a change in the way people think, perceive and act. Make a difference. May be I was young, I was foolish or just may be what we want and what we get are two different things. :)
Gradually I grew into the idea of working in IT but I decided a few more 'never evers'. I would never ever work for Infosys or TCS or one of those giants who just didn't care about the value of a human being! [Many reasons for that, but let's leave it at that.] I decided not to appear for their aptitudes and interviews. And then came along Persistent! It was the kind of company I wanted to start my career in. Sort of perfect... :) But then came another 'never ever'. I would never ever ever do Software Testing. God! What's the skill in that? Even a Commerce graduate can do it! Every single interview of Persistent [there were three] I insisted, if you are recruiting me just to do Software Testing, please don't, I don't need your job and I won't do it. Well, they sort of agreed to that!
And a very happy me joined Persistent on 26th August 2009. A little excited, a little baffled, spotting some familiar faces and making friends with some new ones! A whole week of hearing awesome things about the company, the work environment, the benefits, a week of signing hundreds of forms!
And then came the blow.... You have to do testing! Why? Because you are an electronics graduate. Even if I have more marks in programming subjects than the computer graduates? Yes, even then. Even if I know more programming languages than them? Yes even then. Even if in a test that you would take between them and me I would do as good as them? Yes, even then. Wow! That was like a huge deceit!! Another experience why you should never say 'never ever'!
Again resigning myself to the thought of working as a QA in an IT industry, I set out to make a mark. Gained knowledge, experience & appreciation. Two reporting managers and three project managers later, apparently [and here I quote ] "She is too good in testing to waste her talents on development". Well, well! Let's leave it at that, shall we? :)
A year down the lane I have learnt a few things and unlearnt quited a few. :)
One, never say never evers :)
Two, What you think now, is the best for you, might not be the best. You are too short sighted to know what's best for you in the long run. Instead just take what you get and make the best out of it.
Three, Technical knowledge is not everything. Being intelligent is an accessory. Being smart is a necessity. Be smart, learn a few things that you can apply the most. If you know a lot of stuff, doesn't mean you will be the most successful guy around! Instead be useful, be resourceful!
Four, Technical knowledge is everything! Contradiction right? Well! Its ok if you don't have a lot of technical knowledge you can survive and may be even succeeded! But don't get above yourself and think it's not necessary and you will survive on business domain knowledge and expertise! Nobody gives a damn about your domain knowledge if you do not have a basic necessary technical skill set! Appreciate those who have technical knowledge and always try to upgrade yours! It never hurts to learn an additional technical skill!
Five, Being a team player matters. Learn from the team. Share your knowledge, experience with them, benefit from theirs. There are always different kinds of people on a team. Those who work very diligently. Those who don't work but are very careful to show case that they work. Those who don't work and just don't care. Those who get work done from you and pass it off as their own. Those who know and tell. Those who know and don't tell. Those who don't know and admit that they don't know. Those who don't know but will never admit that they don't know. Those who don't like you because you know. Those who appreciate you. Those who don't appreciate you. Those who hate you because others appreciate you. May be you have to handle each one differently, but the bottomline being you've to go along with them and deliver a team effort.
Six, Being an individual on the team matters! Again a contradiction? From the description of kind of team members above you would have got it that it's not always smooth sailing! Sometimes you just have to put your foot down and assert yourself. No, I am not going to do that. No, I'm not going to do that that way. No, I don't agree. Learn to say no, even if it makes you look a little rude and selfish! You deliver deliverables with the team but when it comes to appraisals or rebukes you are all on your own! Har Roadie Akela hai types!
Seven, Managers have their own agenda and it may or may not always be good for you. To them you are a resource, to you, well, you have a life! To managers you are just a tool to achieve their goals. For which at times they'll flatter you, at times chide you and at times just order you about! It's not always personal to them and you should not always make it personal to you. Think about yourself, let the manager handle the deliverable. All that said and done, there are some very good managers too. I had the opportunity to work with two of the finest!
Eight, Appreciate people for their strengths turn a blind eye to a few weaknesses. Be polite to them, be humble, modest and try to learn from everyone. It will go a long way in building professional relationships.
Nine, you leave teams, projects, jobs, you don't leave friends. Stay in touch. These are wonderful take aways from the place you're leaving. Colleagues come and go. Friends stay. Make friends out of colleagues :)
Ten, money is not everything. At times knowledge takes a precedence, at times opportunity does, at times family does, at times you do! Money is not a goal it is just a means to achieve some goals or simply make the path a little easy. Don't plan your life around money. Plan money around your life!
Eleven, I am too young to hold a discourse on professional life. So stop. And do what you do the best! Get back to work :)
Congratulations to all others who joined with me! We sustained! And we persisted! A year went by in no time at all, thanks to you guys. And I hope another year down the line, no matter how we change professionally, we'll be there for each other as we're today :)Cheers to us! :)
I had the opportunity to grow up with a younger brother. It was not easy, it was not a smooth sail but over the years our relationship has
evolved and grown in many ways.
I remember early on I would care for him and cuddle him like he was a teddy bear :) and then play with him all the amusing games that all the
little boys and girls play.
Then we got around to the phase where we would tease each other. He would break my toys and tear up my books and I went crying to mom.
Then as we got older, I wound up protecting him and he ended up shamelessly taking advantage of the fact that I would never hit him. I was his
'mini-mom' when mom was at office and we stayed at home, amusing ourselves and taking care of each other.
There came a time when he would tell on me and I would tell on him at every opportunity we could get. As time passed we reached a sort of
understanding and agreement when he would not tell certain things to my parents and I would return the favor too. What started off as a truce,
eventually developed into an understanding, where we would cover up each others faults in front of others.
There was a time he hated me because I got all the respect and affection and he had to be the object of everyone's ire, the perfect child(or so
people thought) compared to the good for nothing one. And I hated him because no one scolded him enough and he could charm his way into making
my parents agree for anything. But over the years his resentment turned to respect and he started looking up to me. And I understood that the
way to bring about a change in him was not to resent him but support him in what was right and reason out with him on what was wrong. Took me a
while to realize that voice of reason is more convincing than voice of authority. :)
At times I was his playmate, at times his friend, at times his confidante, at times his rival, at times his teacher, at times his advisor....
Now we are both adults and he has become a great friend. Someone who knew me as a child and stood beside me, looking up to me as I changed and
grew. Now he is the one who stands up for me, looks out for me, advices me.... :) There's almost a role reversal, now it feels like having an elder brother. :)
I didn't always appreciate having a younger brother, but as I look back, I chide myself for all the times that I didn't! I love you SidB and its hard to imagine what life would have been without you :)
I have been working in QA for about a year now... and this seems to be a good time to pen down how it felt.
Spotting mistakes is like your prime job!.
And the worst part is that you feel so happy when you find a fault! Sounds a little twisted right? But the feeling is so exhilarating and euphoric! That such intelligent people spend days writing this code and I could spot a mistake in an hour! Day's work vs an hour!! How cool is that!
And the feeling of power it gives you! If this build is not QA certified it is not just going into the release!
'The reign of terror' :) Yes! That's how some developers see it, when their module comes to me for testing! It's like having a developer's heart...on a jar on my desk. And the look on their faces when you reopen a bug they have fixed :)
You start to spot mistakes in any and everything. Every alternate day I spot a mistake in the Times of India, the mistake might be as small as a slightly misspelled word but oh! I do find it
All of it makes me look like a witch personified right :) Cruella :)
But there have been disadvantages of it too .... -
Its real hard to make friends [with the developers, I mean] - Though I was really fortunate that friends on my team never let the 'bugs' come between us. Even if we argued right in the morning about something 'professional' we would go together for lunch and forget that there was ever a disagreement :) and.... come back and resume!
The work starts to feel repetitive after a while. How many times do I have to test the same bloody thing!!
Its technologically not really satisfying! All you have to do is repeat a set of steps on the same product again and again. At worst you would be using excel sheets at best some test management tool! But that doesn't change the fact that what you are doing is not teaching you anything new! You think did I become an engineer to do this? Even a college graduate could have done it.
Sometimes you feel thwarted, stunted...like there can be no growth for you in this profession or otherwise. How am I better than what I was six months ago? No progress. No value addition.
And at the end of it no matter what people say, the circumstance never let you break out of the mold or stamp of being a QA. People always keep thinking that's all you can do!
Sounds like I have a lot of complaints right? May be, May be not. May be it's too early to say how I feel about it but may be another year down the line I will look back at this note and re-assess....May be some pros will move to the cons' side and may be some cons' will turn out to be a blessing in disguise :)
Last week I heard the most beautiful definition of love and I thought I must share it with everyone I know.
"Why do you love her? If its because of her eyes or her great looks its not love, its lust.... If its because of her intelligence or insight about life its not love, its admiration.... If its because she cries every time you try to leave its not love, its pity.... If its because she makes you lose your concentration and sleep, its not love, its infatuation.... Love is when you don't know why you seem to be attracted to a person and yet you are.... Love has its own reason.... And that reason is meant to be unknown"
3. The rules are subject to change by the female at any time without prior notification
4. No male can possibly know all the rules. Attempts to document the rules are not permitted
5. If the female suspects that the male may know some or all of the rules, she has the right to immediately change some or all of the rules.
6. If the female is wrong, it is because of an egregarious misunderstanding which was the direct result of vagrant misunderstanding which was a direct result of something the male said or did wrong.
7. The male must must always apologize immediately for having been the cause of the misunderstanding without any clues from the female as to what he did to have caused the misunderstanding. See above rule.
8. The female may change her mind at any time for any reason or no reason at all
9. The male is never permitted to change his mind or under circumstances without the express written consent of the female which is given only in cases where the female wanted him to change his mind but gave no indication of that wish
10. The female has the right to be angry or upset for any reason, real or imagined, at any time and under any circumstance which in her sole judgement she deems appropriate. The male is not to be given any sign of the root cause of the female's being angry or upset. The female may, however, give false or misleading reasons to see if the male is paying attention
11. The male must remain calm at all times, unless the female wants him to be angry or upset. Under no circumstances may the female give the male any clue or indication whether or why she wants him to be angry or upset
12. The male is expected to read the mind of the female at all times. Failure to do so will result in punishments and penalties imposed at the sole discretion of the female
13. The female may, at any time and for any reason, resurrect any past incident without regard to temporal or spacial distance, and modify, enlarge, embellish, of wholly reconstruct it in order to demonstrate to the male that he is now or has in the past been wrong, insensitive, pig-headed, dense, deceitful, and/or oafish
14. The female may use her interpretation of any past occurrence to illustrate the ways in which the male has failed to accord her the consideration, respect, devotion, or material possessions, he has bestowed on other females, domestic pets or barnyard animals, sports teams, automobiles, motorcycles, boats, aircraft, or coworkers. Such illustrations are non-rebuttable
15. If the female is experiencing PMS, Post-PMS, or Pre-PMS, the female is permitted to exhibit any manner of behavior she wishes without regard to logical consistency or accepted norms of human behavior
16. Any act, deed, word, expression, statement, utterance, thought, opinion, or belief by the male is subject to the sole, subjective interpretation of the female, other external factors not-withstanding. Alibis, excuses, explanations, defenses, reasons, extenuations, or rationalizations will not be entertained. Begging the female for mercy and forgiveness are acceptable under some circumstances, especially when accompanied by tangible evidence of contrition.
PLEASE NOTE: These rules are subject to change as the female sees fit. All rules are null and void under the PMS Exception Law. New rules apply during different stages of a women's life
