Success Story | Graduated from the Informal School of IT in 2015. Has Worked in IT for 2 Years
May 26, 2017
István is 32 and works in IT. On different projects, with various methodologies, in large, dynamic teams. As a child, he wanted to become a doctor, to help people. Due to circumstances in life, he ended up working in the financial field. For two years now, however, he has embraced life as a software tester with both hands, and with passion. IT, he says, is like a basketball game: "teamplayer, common goal, together."
The Informal School of IT prepared the ground that let him try out a new career. From 2015, since graduating, up to today, he tells us how he has grown professionally. We asked him how he does what he does, what he thinks, and what he recommends. And also what it was like at the start. About choices, challenges, fears, and rewards. About everything he learned at the School and how he applied what he picked up in his everyday work life.
Let's give him the floor!
1. At what point did you decide to change your career?
I worked in the financial field, as Account Payable. I was the senior accountant for a multinational client in the Pharma industry. At one point, it was decided to implement a program that would reduce document processing time. I volunteered to test it, because I liked testing anything. I interacted a lot with the project manager, with the developers in Belgium, and kept track of the bugs. After they were fixed, I tested them too. I ran training sessions for my colleagues on the program's features. From that moment on, I decided I had to take a step forward in my career, and I enrolled at the Informal School of IT, in the Software Testing educational program.
2. Tell us more about your academic path.
In high school I graduated from the math-computer science-physics track. At the time I didn't go for a university degree — instead I started working as an interior designer, which is still my hobby today. In the meantime, I finished a Marketing degree, followed by a master's in Business Development Management. I later enrolled in a new university program: Economic Informatics, but at the same time I also applied to the Informal School of IT.
3. What made you enroll at the Informal School of IT?
I really wanted us to do exercises, to learn theories that we could also apply at work, day to day. Unfortunately, even now not enough emphasis is placed on this in traditional learning environments. We have a few subjects in college that are kept up to date, but sadly there are many that need to be rewritten and updated. I heard a lot of great opinions about the Informal School of IT, about the mentors. I wanted to learn practical things: about projects, methodologies, strategies that are current and can be used at work. And that's exactly what happened.
4. Why Software Testing?
I chose Software Testing because I always liked analyzing and testing things, new programs. Whenever I got the chance, I tested programs during trial periods, to understand their functionality and their purpose.
5. (From the course sessions) you especially remember…
The moments when we did group exercises. They helped us a lot to understand where each of us had gone wrong, and to also listen to our classmates' points of view.
6. My biggest fear was …
…that I wouldn't finish the educational program, that I wouldn't find a job in testing.
7. What are the most important things you learned at the Informal School of IT?
What helped me the most in my everyday job was that, in class, the mentors showed us how to write short, objective test cases with the most important details, so that they'd be effective and useful for developers. On top of that, I gained knowledge of SQL, HTML, JavaScript, and software methodologies: Agile, Waterfall, Scrum.
8. Can you tell us, in a few words, how your professional life has changed from 2015 until today?
I've learned a great many things over the 2 years I've worked in IT. At first, I worked on a project with two local colleagues and other colleagues from different countries, with whom I interacted periodically. After that period, an opportunity came up that I had been dreaming of for a long time and couldn't refuse. Now I work for a client, with more than 70 local colleagues and beyond, with whom I interact every day. Communication is very important in our projects, and we trust each other a great deal. I see IT as a basketball game. Here we're talking about "teamplayer, common goal, together."
9. What do you do to keep up with the pace of IT and keep growing?
I read a lot, talk to colleagues, and exchange ideas with people who have more experience. My current project at work is a dynamic one; thanks to it, I learn new things every day, things that will keep helping me going forward, anywhere, anytime. In the future, I'll be moving toward automated testing.
Advice for students of the Informal School of IT
“Learn as much as you can during the course sessions, do your homework on your own and on time. You'll see the results when you look for a job, but also later on in your everyday professional life. Don't hesitate, and trust your mentors. Ask every question you have. Their expertise and experience will help you a great deal.”Some container content
