Meet a Tester: Cody

, Managing Editor, Testlio

In Meet a Tester, we feature QA experts from our community who share their love for quality and Testlio. Cody is an ex U.S. Air Force truck driver, turned software developer and tester. 

Cody specializes in iOS, Android, Web, Roku and, to some extent, FireTV.

Where are you from?

I am from a small town called Clinton, just outside of Kansas City Missouri. No one ever knows where it is so I usually just say I am from Kansas City.

What is your educational background? 

I have a BA in Computer and Information Science with a minor in Computing. The minor allowed me to take more IT-related courses like programming in various languages. I plan to start my Masters at the end of the year or beginning of next. 

Other than that, I hold certifications for Sec+, SANS GCFA, SANS GXPN, and Mantech ACTP. In addition, I’m currently enrolled in an Advanced Windows Programming course.

How did you end up testing for Testlio?

I ended up at Testlio through a friend who I work with. He told me about it and I thought it was just another online trick so I brushed it off for about a month. Then he told me he did a sweet livestream job in which he got to watch a boxing event and get paid for it. So hearing that, I went ahead and took the onboarding tests. Shortly after, I was invited into my first practice cycle, and even though it was a bit overwhelming and new to me, I felt that I could get better with experience and pressed on.

What do you like about Testlio?

What I like about Testlio is the freedom and flexibility. It’s great to be given a task list and then being able to complete it on my own time.

Testlio is the only place I have worked for in the software testing field so I can’t compare it to other crowdtesting platforms, but as far as pay rates go – after reading around and comparing options, I would say it is great.

How do you manage the balance between testing and personal life?

I balance testing by making sure I line up my tests during my free time (when kids are in bed), or there’s testing on the weekend, I will try to get it done in the morning before anything happens in my house. Overall the balance is really good. The flexibility of Testlio is the biggest part of the balance. On the days I don’t have any tests, I can spend time doing things I need to do.

What motivates you professionally? 

What motivates me professionally is the opportunity to learn, evolve my career and make a difference. I was recently moved to the Community Test Lead role for a big project – so this motivates me to continue to work hard and achieve my goals.

What’s an interesting fact about yourself?

I joined the Air Force at 18 wanting to come in for an IT-related job as that had been my passion since I was young. However, I had to meet the needs of the Air Force so I became a truck driver instead. 7 years later I had the opportunity to change career fields so I took it. It was a long journey to get here but now I am professionally doing what I want to do. I always dabbled in IT while being a truck driver as I knew I was going to be doing something with computers once I was done. Now I am a developer and software tester.

What apps do you use that you can recommend?

I actually don’t really use my phone except for browsing the internet, calling, texting, email, and taking pictures – I have no personal apps other than what came from the factory. I am more of a computer person so I only use my phone when not around a computer. For work, I just use a JSON parser website sometimes to help to look through logs.

How would you convince a friend to join Testlio?

I would convince a friend to join Testlio by telling them how easy it can be and how flexible it is. The pay is also great and allows for a good hobby fund.

Do you like software testing? You too can join Testlio and be part of our amazing community of testers!