Nemanja Pušara — Dribbling Past Bugs
Some say that the role of a manual tester is one of the easiest ways to find yourself in the IT industry, however, it’s not a walk in the park.
Today, the role of QA nowadays is irreplaceable. With so many software products being created, they will inevitably require some form of testing.
That’s where Nemanja jumps in!
So, how does a once-professional footballer find himself down a career path of a Quality Assurance Engineer?
We recently sat down with Nemanja to discuss his career in Walter Code, and here’s what he had to say about it:
1. Can you tell us about your background and how a professional soccer player ended up as a QA?
It all started in high school, as I went to an electrical engineering school majoring in computer science. My professional subjects were programming which I fell in love with(although I always loved mathematics throughout my schooling).
When I needed to enroll in the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and continue my education in this world, the life of a professional soccer player took me to a completely different side. At one point, I saw that I could no longer live off of football bread and that I did not see myself in professional football. So little by little I returned to engineering, and here I am!
2. What do you consider to be your biggest achievements so far, both personally and professionally?
Well, I would say that the fact that I have traveled and met a lot of the world and a lot of different people is my biggest personal achievement.
Professionally, I am very glad to be a successful and profiled QA Automation tester, it is something I enjoy day in and day out!
3. How do you like to spend your free time and what are some of your hobbies and interests?
I like to do jobs that are not related to the QA world, that’s where I rest the most, and I enjoy spending time with family and friends, as well.
Hobby? Football, of course, whenever obligations permit.
4. What do you think sets successful individuals apart from those who struggle in your profession, and what are some challenges that one might run into?
I don’t think that an individual can survive in this calling for too long, because it is a job in which a group always does better, and it’s far easier to progress within a group.
It is also easier for a group to throw you out as an individual that developed to a strong QA, so it’s a love-hate relationship. That is something that I’ve learned from football, a group will always throw out a strong individual since they feel insecure about themselves in that scenario.
It might sound contradictory, but being too good at a job can sometimes hurt you because people will feel threatened by you.
5. How do you maintain a positive and constructive attitude when faced with tight deadlines and high-pressure situations?
Well, I think of myself as a calm person by nature and I try to do everything responsibly and with quality, and that certainly helps deal with the stress of high expectations and tight deadlines.
As for the pressure, I enjoy it because it forces me to be better.
6. Give us a breakdown of your daily tasks as a QA Engineer, and tell us what tools you use daily?
It’s a lot of testing and finding bugs, lots of automated tests being written.
The goal is to be error-free day after day.
As for some tools I use, it’s Coffee for better focus and more energy, Jira to write tasks and bugs, and Symfony framework when writing PHP unit tests.
7. What do you think leads to the discovery of a critical defect?
As I previously mentioned, a QA will progress the most within a group, and that certainly applies to discovering defects. With proper work and agreement, a group of people will discover the defect in the application with ease. Group work takes away from the stress of having to single-handedly find all the errors, and less stress = more focus!
8. How would you test a feature that has both a front-end and back-end component, and how you would ensure that the two components work together seamlessly?
For the back-end, I would employ unit testing (a method where individual units or components of a program are tested to ensure they function correctly in isolation), while for the front-end, I would conduct end-to-end (E2E) testing (a software testing approach that evaluates the functionality and behavior of a system from start to finish, simulating real-user scenarios and interactions across multiple components and interfaces).
Combining these tests ensures that both components function harmoniously and deliver the desired outcome.
9. In what technologies are you currently proficient, and how do you stay informed about new developments in your field?
I excel in E2E testing, utilizing the C# programming language. It is also something I find quite a lot of joy in.
To stay informed about the latest developments in my field, I make good use of online resources that are more available than ever, particularly reliable websites and forums where I can dedicate myself to thorough research. In short, Google everything! :D
10. What would you recommend to people who think it’s too late to choose their life’s career path?
Run away from programming!
I’m just kidding, of course, IT is certainly an excellent option.
But, it’s all up to you, and I mean it.
It’s only important that you know what you want in life and move toward that goal. There are no unsolvable problems, and no mountain too tall to climb, but you need to have an “I can do it” attitude, and break down each big challenge into small, feasible portions.
And there you have it, an interview with our QA Engineer, Nemanja Pušara.
Nemanja and his calm approach to solving problems are quite inspiring, and we are very happy to have him at Walter Code.
And for you, we hope that Nemanja’s story brought some light on what a career as a QA is like, and we hope that you’ve enjoyed reading about it.
If you have, make sure to share this story with others, and stay tuned to our social media as we frequently post interesting IT-related content!