From travel agent to a Tester in IT, or how to find a dream job on the Mediterranean coast

How did it all begin?

— I have devoted many years to the tourism business: organizing musical tours for jazz bands, making travel plans for my private clients around the world, and working in the hotel business. In 2016, after working two regular seasons at the hotel, I started looking for a way to earn money without leaving home for a long time. I started with a crowdsourcing platform, but this activity seemed rather boring to me. Then I found a few articles on the Internet about crowd testing, I found it interesting, and I decided to try it. This is how I discovered Test IO. Previously, I had no experience in the IT-sphere, except that I solved all the problems with computers at my previous job.

How is the working day going?

— One of the main advantages of my work is that you can work at any time of the day and from anywhere. I’m from Germany, but recently I live in Greece. I have three cats that require serious care and long evening walks, so I am busy most of the day. I work mostly early in the morning, late in the evening, or even at night. While testing, I don’t follow the plan, but use the application as a normal user just to see how everything goes, and at what points there may be problems. That's why I also really love UX testing. I always believe that you can do much better! My secret is probably that I really love testing and don't consider it "work." So even when I agree to a test cycle where I can't immediately find any bugs, I usually take my time to review the entire website or app. The better you understand how something is supposed to work, the easier it is to find errors.

What do you need to study to become a tester?

I have learned everything by myself all my life. The new Test IO system with user stories gives everyone a good opportunity to get a feel for the website or application. Early in your career, a great way to write content and find visual bugs is through test loops. With their help, you will learn how to write good bug reports. Read the articles in the Test IO academy, search the web for all the best ways to capture screencasts, use a proxy or VPN, find GPS apps, and use Google Drive or Dropbox. This way, you won't have problems with test setups later, and you can focus on finding bugs instead of solving technical problems in your own setup. It took me almost two months to discover all the tools like VPN apps and screen recorders that are best for me and my devices. A little effort every day will always lead to success.

I had a break from work, and now I feel like a newcomer again. I can really advise every new tester never to give up. Ask questions to colleagues, study information on the Internet, and don’t be afraid of failures: thanks to them, you can also learn a lot.

Here are some of my life mottos that I always follow and advise others to: "never give up," "you can achieve anything you want," and "don't dream about life, live your dream."

What are you future plans?

In the future, I also plan to continue testing. I have many hobbies - reading, knitting and crocheting. I love making handmade gifts for the whole family, especially for my little nieces. Since my husband and I live in a small Greek village and our area has become increasingly isolated in recent years due to poor road connections and airport access, we are thinking about moving to another country, maybe Spain. So, I spend a lot of time on the Internet looking for the perfect place and home to live in. But the big plus is that I won't have to look for a new job: I will work with Test IO from any place in the world.

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