The only certainty is change. An interview with Marzena, a QA Engineer who has been with us for 10 years
Marzena is one of the longest-standing testers here at AUCTANE and is living proof that nothing is impossible. Starting from the bottom, without any technical experience, she is one of our key employees. “I’m not technical by any means. I am still learning something every day”, she says with a smile. On our blog, she shared her experiences, achievements and hardships.
Marzena, let’s go back in time to your beginnings at AUCTANE. How did they look like, and when did you decide to change your career path to dive deep into the world of IT?
My beginnings at AUCTANE were full of challenges. I’ll admit, that going straight into IT was not an easy decision, as I had no technical training. However, I knew that I wanted to try something new. So, I decided to take a leap of faith and apply for an interview. It was both a stressful and an exciting experience, similar to my first day at work, which was a very intense one. That day I came back home with a splitting headache, but I knew I could not give up.
I also remember the first task given to me. It was a big one, but my team gave me the necessary support and endowed me with a great amount of trust, hoping that I will pull through. I was to test a routing path, and the first question that popped up in my head was if I am supposed to test every country. The programmer who tasked me with this assignment said that I should focus on the more specific ones. I sat down, looked at the long list of countries and thought – I have to pick something. My first choice was Canada, which, as it turned out later, was the only country with a problem (laughs). Everybody laughed afterwards. “It’s a kind of beginners luck”, they said. Usually, everyone’s first choice always falls on the one thing that is broken.
With the passage of time and the expansion of the company, my tasks evolved as well. We began to form smaller teams composed of one or two testers and a couple of programmers. This allowed me to focus on a particular area and to work closely with my development team. Working here has been a great opportunity to grow and learn new things.
You have been a tester for 10 years now. How did it come to this if you have not had the necessary experience, and what has kept you from changing positions?
It’s true. Since the beginning of my journey here at AUCTANE my role remained unchanged. Of course, there were some opportunities for me to change departments, but I have always felt that I really like what I do. Actually, funny story, when I was applying to work here, I applied for an entirely different position, that I do not even know the name of now, but my colleagues that were recruiting me at the time, after having a long talk with me said that they see potential in me to be a tester. I thought, “What do I have to lose?” and gave it a shot.
It turned out that the role fits my curious and inquisitive nature perfectly. Finding errors, tinkering with the system, attempts at breaking something or even proposing my own solutions, like changing a pop-up for a different one, have always made me happy. This position enabled me to develop these skills and thanks to that I really fell in love with what I do.
Also read: What keeps me at AUCTANE? The atmosphere! – An interview with Witek, Support Manager
And you have really specialised in your role over the past years. Say, from an experienced employee’s point of view, what qualities do you consider essential for a person working as a QA Engineer?
However, the ability to see things from the point of view of the user is just as important. You have to embody the role of a person that has no technical knowledge. At the start of my career, my ability to identify tiny details that were obvious for a programmer but not so much for the user proved to be really valuable. I tried to use these skills in practice, which in time increased my appreciation for the team.
These skills are not just useful, but essential. If someone has them, they are able to execute any task easier and quicker compared to others.
We will return to the topic of your impressive anniversary in due time, however, you have stated that your position has not changed throughout the years. Have you ever felt bored at work over the past decade?
Not at all! The work environment and the teams that I was a part of were constantly changing. I’ve been through so many teams that it’s difficult to tally them up on the spot. Sometimes I migrated from one team to another with two or three familiar faces, but a situation like that has always been dynamic. For example, when I was on maternity leave and returned, I came back to a completely different team. There were only 2 people there who I knew from the beginning of my work at AUCTANE.
Our company is constantly changing, and they always tell us, that the only certain thing here is change. We shouldn’t get accustomed to our environment, workplace or the people we work with. This is influenced by a multitude of factors, such as changing the name or structure of the company, the expectations of the management or the ever-changing market. We have to follow it all to stay up to date.
So, it can be said that the word “dynamic” is not just an empty slogan from a job advertisement.
Definitely not, no, it’s a reality for us (laughs). Even if I have been in one work position for the past 10 years, the environment and tasks are always changing. It’s refreshing. I can do what I know with no place for monotony or boredom. Things are constantly changing.
The biggest shock for me was when – first, they hired me – because that was something new for me, but also the time when I got pregnant and went on maternity leave. By the time I came back, AUCTANE had been employing way more people. It really felt like I came to a completely different company. They even offered me to go through the onboarding process. But I decided to learn on the fly, on specific tasks, like before because I like it that way.
Also read: Changes create opportunities. An interview with Paweł, Solution Architect
You are our most passionate ambassador of the Volunteer Day here at AUCTANE. Tell us, do you take advantage of any other benefits? Do you find them useful?
I take advantage of many benefits offered by AUCTANE and I believe that they are really worthwhile. One of them is English lessons. When I joined the company, I was more proficient in German, so I decided to polish up my other language. The other benefits I have taken advantage of since the beginning of my work here are private healthcare and health insurance. I find group solutions to be definitely way more beneficial.
Other profits that I value, are the sports card and the aforementioned Volunteer Day. It’s one of my favourite benefits. I make use of it every year, and actually, I am that person in the team that reminds others to make use of it as well. We can spend a day off from work on volunteer work. It is both pleasurable and useful.
I even have an interesting story regarding this day. Two years ago, when my team went to clean up the forest, one of my colleagues heard two kittens meowing. They were abandoned in the forest, so we took them to the animal shelter. We even took the opportunity to take a couple of dogs for a walk. The colleague who found the kittens later adopted one of them. The other one, unfortunately, did not make it due to sickness. Thanks to this trip, we now have a cat on our team.
You speak of the benefits, of growth, but is there anything else that is keeping you at AUCTANE in particular? After all, 10 years is a long period of time.
The things keeping me at AUCTANE are definitely the people and the atmosphere. As I have mentioned before, in the beginning, we were like family – small, but very close-knit. The atmosphere was incredible, and I still keep in touch with many of the people from then. Despite the company’s growth, this family-like atmosphere remained. I have to admit that the people here are the main reason why I’m still here. Working with them is something truly incredible.
My second reason for staying here is my willingness to grow. This inquisitiveness, looking for new solutions, fixing bugs, influencing how programmers fix something, and making sure that our products are attractive and of high quality – all these things allow me to grow and constantly gain new knowledge. Maybe it comes from the fact that I’m not a technical person, but I’m constantly learning something. When new changes or tasks come up, I gain new knowledge. So far, I don’t feel bored.
Do you have any spectacular successes on your record? Or is there a failure that has stuck with you?
Setbacks happen to everyone, although I don’t recall any spectacular ones (laughs). I will admit that there are few on my account because I always try to be very exact. Actually, I am known for being very “picky”. I pay attention to every dot, comma, every little detail.
In terms of successes, one of the most important was the UPS certification process. UPS required us to do the certification, which meant preparing all the labels and EDI (electronic shipment tracking) files according to their requirements. The requirements were different for Canada and the United States, so there was a lot of work. However, without this certification, we could not use UPS services. The process took a lot of time, stress and nerves, but we managed to complete it successfully.
Another of my such personal successes is preparing validation kits – labels and EDI files, which we then send to the courier for approval. I try to get my kits prepared and approved the first time – it’s a little ambition of mine (laughs). It doesn’t always work out, but I’ve already got a dozen or so such kits to my credit, and it always makes me very happy.
I am also proud of the fact that I have learned a lot of things myself – both at work and after hours. Now I am able to pass on this knowledge to others, which is also a great success for me. In short, every success, even the smallest one, gives me strength and makes me happy.
Finally, let’s talk about your team. You said you’ve been through a few, but where are you now? What’s it like to work in your current team?
I am currently part of the courier team that deals with modules at MPM. I am very happy with our team of six. We recently had a change of leader, which is something that always raises some concerns, but it has turned out to be really great. We have a great relationship with each other. Everyone is incredibly helpful – whenever I need support, I can count on them.
