“Throughout the hiring process the trainers were keen to emphasise that your job is what you make of it, and I think that has held true during my time working for the company. If you want to develop or learn a certain thing, Planit encourages it and really makes you feel like you are in control of your own career path.”
Siobhan, Tester, Planit

Siobhan was initially drawn to the testing field as a means to enter the burgeoning software industry, as well as the incremental career progression it offers. “You can enter on a functional level but there is nothing limiting you from progressing into Automation or Performance roles if you work towards it,” she said.

Siobhan started her career in Quality Assurance but within the food industry, which was related to her tertiary studies. She had always considered a shift into the technology sector, but was not sure how to transition into it with her food-related degree and career.

Fortunately, Siobhan had a connection at Planit who told her about Planit’s Software Testing Bootcamp (STBC). It was a lightbulb moment; she had finally found her way into the IT industry.

“Throughout the hiring process the trainers were keen to emphasise that your job is what you make of it, and I think that has held true during my time working for the company,” she said. “If you want to develop or learn a certain thing, Planit encourages it and really makes you feel like you are in control of your own career path.”

Siobhan successfully passed the five-day intensive training program and went on to join Planit in Reading, Berkshire as a tester. Since becoming a member of Planit and part of the IT industry, she has made use of the company’s many training programs to continue upskill in methodologies such as Agile.

“Learning about Agile specifically appealed as a way to apply structure to changes,” she said. “If a big change comes in, the team can work out what impact it will have and the number of stories they can bring into their Sprint rather than overpromising and underdelivering.”

Ongoing training and skilling up has not only broadened Siobhan’s mind to the world of software delivery, but also helped her to keep up with the rapid pace of change in the technology space. “Planit’s training is really practical. You can always find a way to apply the lessons learnt to improve the quality of your work,” she said. “I find it boring to do the same things all the time, so for me, learning new skills is one way to avoid that.”

For someone who is looking to get into testing, Siobhan’s advice is to “go for it” and not to worry about not having the right kind of experience. Instead, it’s more beneficial to focus on becoming someone who cares about quality and takes pride in the work they do.

“If you’re already starting out in testing, try hard to avoid stagnation by self-disrupting whenever you start to lose interest in your projects,” she said. “That could mean signing up for a course, or just reviewing what you’re currently doing and how you could change it for the better.”