TestLion Pride Meet a Tester: Dmitry Josepha Miltony Martšuk , Managing Editor, Testlio July 7th, 2020 In Meet a Tester, we feature QA experts from our community who share their love for quality and Testlio. Dmitry is a full-time freelance tester from Russia. Tell us a bit about you I live and was born in a small town called Ulyanovsk in Russia – it’s divided by the Volga, the longest river in Europe. My native language is Russian. Dmitry What is your educational background? I have a master’s degree in “Industrial and civil construction”.After graduating from university, I started working as a bridge foreman and 4 years later, I was promoted to Chief Construction Officer. Even though this experience does not really apply to IT, I did learn several important things. For example – when railway bridge spans are replaced, trains are only stopped for a few hours, so I understand very clearly the meaning of deadlines. Furthermore, when working in underground galleries at great depths, teamwork is vital to avoid collapses 🙂. How did you end up testing for Testlio? I had to work far away from home and so I was missing out on many memorable family moments such as my son speaking for the first time… I wanted to be closer to my family and decided to look for work-from-home opportunities. I had always been interested in everything related to computers and new technologies – I used to organize FIFA online tournaments in the not so distant past and therefore had some knowledge about HTML, CSS, PHP, Javascript and MySQL. As it happened, I discovered crowdsourced testing platforms and tried freelancing. I started by learning the basics of testing, reading articles on this topic and taking courses. After a few years working on other crowd testing platforms, I discovered and joined Testlio – I was amazed to see such a friendly community of testers. Testlio is a big family and I am very glad to be part of it. What are your specialties? I have some experience with financial investment desktop applications but for the most part, I work with web and mobile applications. How does Testlio’s pay compare to other crowdtesting platforms? The payment rate is very reasonable because Testlio, unlike many other platforms, pays based on the time allotted for testing in each project. There is no race to claim a slot for a test case or to log an issue. Also, the hourly rate is very attractive for my region. How do you manage the balance between testing and personal life? Working for Testlio has a lot of advantages. I don’t need to spend unnecessary time commuting to work, my work schedule is flexible and I am close to my family. Dmitry’s son Mike and wife Ann What motivates you professionally? Growing as a tester is one of my key motivators especially considering that the technology sector moves faster than ever – so this is a huge field for self-education. What’s an interesting fact about yourself? I really love SUVs, off-road driving or just driving on the highway! The sound of a diesel V8 bi-turbo is similar to a roaring lion. 🦁 What are some of your favorite apps? For screen recording, I like to use QuickTime or ScreenPresso. For video conversion, I use an app called HandBrake.To communicate with friends, I enjoy mainstream applications such as WhatsApp and Facebook. How would you convince a friend to join Testlio? Confucius’s words are best suited here: Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life. Confucius Want to join Testlio as a freelance tester? Sign up here.