How to Future-Proof Yourself in the Testing Field
Look, it’s not easy to predict where trends will take software. It’s easy to sit back and hope that whatever you’re doing right now will be good enough as we move to The Next Big Thing, but it’s much more likely that how you’re currently testing software or how your team is built will have to adapt.
That adaptation isn’t easy, either. If you’ve been doing something a certain way for a long time, making a major shift will force your team to break out of its comfort zone. Maybe more importantly, if you didn’t properly predict where the industry was going, you’ll have to play catch-up while other organizations already have systems in place to keep up with the times.
In an interview with StickyMinds, Jared Richardson, the principal consultant at Agile Artisan, explained the best way to future-proof yourself as a tester. And while it’s critical to keep an eye on new methodologies and technologies—those who saw the rise of agile and mobile coming had a leg up on the competition—the most important preparation might come from your mindset.
Instead of being reactive and waiting for the change to occur, Richardson suggests testers invest time in new skills and ideas in their free time.
“I try to carve out two or three hours, maybe on a Friday afternoon. I try to carve out a couple of hours at least once a week. I call it Seinfelding it,” he explained. “Someone was asking Seinfeld, ‘Hey, how do I be a comedian, how do I be a screenwriter, how do I do what you did?’ and he said, ‘Whatever it is you want to do, put a calendar up. Every day when you've touched it, even if it's thirty seconds, put an X through there.’ He said, ‘Some days, maybe you'll touch that script,’ in his cases it's a set of jokes or a screenplay, but in our case, a test script or a new automation tool or some research.”
Research what could be on the horizon. Take a look at different automation tools that might benefit your team. Understand fresh methodologies that might be effective for a competitor, and decide if they’re right for you.
The secret to making yourself invaluable as a tester isn’t learning how to see the future and forecast what will change the industry as we know it and what will fade away. In order to future-proof yourself, spend the time to improve the skills you have, add the skills you’re missing, and understand what might be coming on the horizon.
Nothing’s foolproof, but the best thing you can do with your free time is invest in yourself and your future.
