WORK from HOME ! Suspicions ! Questions ! Raised Eyebrows !!

Last few weeks I have been juggling between working, traveling, meeting people, visiting friends, family, extended family. Everywhere I went, there were a few questions that every individual wanted to know. The amazing part was, the questions were all similar. The expressions on their faces changed from REALLY ! NOT believable ! Suspicion ! How is that possible ?  Well... I left it to them to ruminate our discussion :)

Why can't people understand there are jobs beyond being a doctor, professor or working in an MNC ? So, here it is, how I am put under the GUN -

1st Bullet fired...........What do you really do ?

Automatically I smile and almost grinning ear to ear, I say, I work as a tester, very well knowing this is not going to be accepted with open arms. Once a friend of mine had the cheek to say, "AH ! now i know why you smell so nice- You are a perfume tester." Another one shot, may be a food tester, she cooks well too. Some of them want to seriously know about my work. I go ahead telling them all about testing websites. Most of them think this is just a recreation with no stability. I have failed to explain them Errr..it's real work. I don’t do this for fun or entertainment, this is what I live, love, work, breathe!! Surprisingly, I still get asked in social gatherings - SO, what do you do now? Working ? Did you find some stable job ? !! Everyone is ready with references ! Well... I take it as their affection for me.

     2nd Bullet fired by people who have an idea what i do.....What is the need of working in a start up ? Why put in so much effort, time and hard work ? Get a stable and respectable job in some MNC, you will get paid so well!!

           How to make people understand this simple fact- its NOT all about money, status, position. I survive on adrenaline rush, the feeling of missing a heart beat before every new release, the excitement of feedback , highs and lows, chasing deadlines every other day and doing the seemingly impossible tasks?! EVERY DAY is an achievement. Yes, I can get a “stable, cushy” job in an MNC, but that is not what I would enjoy. I want to face challenges every day. I want to learn ,know and try a new thing every day. The sheer routine in an MNC, of being given one particular job, day after day will drive me up the wall.

3rd Bullet........... Experimenting is a good thing, trying new things is good- But for how long ? When will you settle down ?

Err...Do I look unsettled ? 'Settle down' - what does that actually mean ? OK, i don't have a job like your daughter in IBM, but I am very much settled. I love my job. I don't get time. It is not something I do to FILL IN GAPS of the time i have. Working from HOME does NOT make the job any less powerful and it makes no difference working in small company. You REALLY want to learn and progress, work in a start up !! It's true, I just need an internet connection and a device to do my work. Isn't it amazing ! Well, it appears more unbelievable I guess.

4th Bullet shot by suspicious people who are on the internet and have a good idea of the work i do. Without looking up from their mobiles, with glasses resting half way on their nose - they say with a gruff voice - The world out there is BAD for women. Is it not difficult to manage people on internet ? 

     Yes, it is not a cake walk. Specially when you have to deal with a new set of people. Out of 10 people 8 have tested my boundaries. Acceptance is low. But, that does not mean I will sit and sulk. Should I stop trying ? Should I just give up ? In my experience over the years , I have had great working relationship with my male bosses, colleagues, clients.  At the end of the day - EVERYONE respects a professional. Just focusing on what the work is and getting it done puts everyone at ease. The thumb rule of keeping quiet and not letting yourself loose at work place works very well on the internet too for women ! In fact, I have also been told to have fun sometimes :)

5th Bullet.....After they see, I have not given up..... Will this kind of a job keep you happy always ?

     This made me think a little. And I said - My journey is fulfilling. I cannot think of any other way to of being more happy. This is what I live and breathe. I am passionate about every single new creation, testing it, making it better. It's like putting life into something and presenting it to the world.

THIS IS WHAT that KEEPS ME HAPPY amongst the many others these days

       The beautiful MOBILE VERSION of Realm of Empires in its nascent stage !

  

Requirements for a Tester / Quality Analyst

Testing as a Freelancer 
Someone asked me if it was possible to work as a Freelancer and test sites. According to me i have never understood if any job can be done as a Freelancer unless you are doing it as an honorary job, without expecting any payment. NO job can be done without commitment and focus on the end product as a goal.

A freelancer, freelance worker, or freelance is somebody who is self-employed and is not committed to a particular employer long term. This is what freelancing means from wiki. In my view, testing is an ongoing process and it usually takes some time to completely build a site. During the process of development, at every stage testing has to do be done. So, to maintain continuity and understanding , if freelancers come and go- testing bits and parts then, i guess, quality cannot be assured. To have the site properly tested, it is essential to have a tester who is there with the product to know about the entire cycle of requirements and changes.

I would strongly suggest that anyone who wants to take up a testing job, prepare yourself for availability and commitment. READ the word TESTER backwords quickly and it suggests what your job is. YES, it is RETEST, RETEST, retest and retest......

Computer Knowledge
Integrating test cases in the format developers require. Sometimes, it's only in the form of screenshots. So, knowledge of tools to take screenshots and editing them. Sometimes, it is in written format in excel sheets. More advanced formats can be used in the form of tools to keep track of the each and every team member in tools like Fogbugz, Testuff etc.
Knowledge of  Browsers to do cross browser testing on different Operating systems.Internet browsing is always helpful.
As you proceed, detailed testing requires adequate software knowledge too.

English
English is understood to be global language and a common mode of communication. A tester MUST have a command over the language without spelling mistakes.Proper punctuations, capitalization , sentence formation is the first step to effective communication.

Logical Deductions :
The tester's job is NOT only to follow the process actually described or specified in the requirements. It is also, to look into every possible way, the feature could be abused or used in a way to break the site. Check out Realm Of Empires to understand this.

- Have two accounts A and B
- Have no spies in account B
- Send an attack from account A to account B
         a) Only knights
         b) Knights and spies
         c) ONLY 500 spies
- Go to account B and on the header of the village - 2 incoming attacks are displayed because, spy attack is hidden : OK till here
- Go to the map in Account B
- Hover over the village of account B

Expected result : It should show 2 incoming attacks because the spy attack is supposed to be hidden
Actual result : It shows 3 incoming attacks.

So, you can see here, this will never be specified but has to be logically deduced that if this feature is not available , then it should not be shown anywhere in the application. Also, check out the reports of the application. The many features to be made available or not to be made available with different types of flags,was mind boggling to develop and test.

Communication :
The MOST important aspect of a successful tester is to communicate well. You may know and understand that there is something wrong, but that is of NO use unless you can explain it to the developer to replicate the bug. Remember, no developer likes to be pointed out that their is a bug and have very little patience to listen to a Tester's rant about any issue, however critical it may be. So, there is a methodology followed:

Title of the bug : Very important to catch the developers attention. It should convey the essential of the BUG. It's just like twitter. In a few words it should convey everything

1) Title :  Account created with Incomplete data of user
2) Steps to replicate:
     a) Navigate to Home page( give URL)
     b) Click on Create your account
     c)  Page displayed asks to your first name and last name as mandatory fields        
     d)  Leave them blank
     e) Click to register
3) It is a very good process to have screenshot to follow your test case.
4) Expected result : The mandatory fields should get a red astrix or some text asking to fill those fields.
5) Actual result : User gets registered

This is simple example. As you proceed to actually test a site, every small thing has to be tested. Attention to details is a MUST. Requirements of the client has to be read word by word and test scenarios have to be thought out, combining many different features. Sometimes even a single line in a requirement by client can have 10-15 test cases.

Availability: Deadlines are ONLY for testers. Always be AVAILABLE for testing.

Be ready to test whenever developer completes his work. A 24-48 hr turnaround of testing in my opinion is valued by the company. I again reiterate - Developers/Clients have very little patience. Once the product is ready, they want  it to be tested and released IMMEDIATELY !! If you are working from home, being available is a must.

Adaptability :
If you want to work as a tester with developers across the globe, be ready to adapt according to the developer, their time zones, a bit about their culture. Basically, if you are not confident stick to being ONLY professional. A tester has to adapt to the working style of developer and not vice-versa.


COMMITMENT and HARDWORK
Last but the most essential step to progress, BE COMMITTED to your job. OWN the work you do. Take absolute responsibility of the work. Love your job atleast for the time you do it. Hardwork will follow itself. Avoid finding excuses.REMEMBER, the sites success is in the hand of the TESTER. And it is not an easy job to shoulder such a huge responsibility. YOU ARE THE HAND who is running the world without letting it COLLAPSE.