Meet a Tester: Sasha

Josepha Miltony Martšuk , Managing Editor, Testlio

March 20th, 2020

In Meet a Tester, we feature QA experts from our community who share their love for quality and Testlio. Sasha is an ISTQB certified tester who has been an active member of the Testlio testing network since 2015.

Tell us a bit about yourself

I was born in Odessa, Ukraine. 5 years ago I moved to Cracow, Poland with my wife, where we have settled and given birth to 2 children. Russian is my native language, but also I speak Ukrainian, English, and Polish.

What is your educational background?

I graduated from Odessa National Polytechnic University with a degree in Computer Intellectual Systems and Networks. After that, I graduated from Kyiv National University of Technologies and Design and graduated with a degree in Management and Business administration. I am also an ISTQB certified tester.

How did you end up testing for Testlio?

My best friend Alik was the first to join Testlio and he urged me to sign up as well – after about 6 months, I followed his advice. I was a bit resistant at first because I had no idea what crowdsourced testing was all about. Then, when I finally joined Testlio a huge world of opportunities opened up for me! I gained a lot of testing experience in different areas – in the beginning, I studied everything related to iOS and Android testing, then I figured out how test automation works, it was all very exciting. I was able to understand how an effective testing process works and how high-quality testing standards should be applied. In turn, I transferred this knowledge to my main job. It would have been impossible without the experience I gained and the people I met here at Testlio! I am really happy that after more than 4 years of testing here, we are still a community of active testers and that there are still lots of possibilities for the future.

What are your specialties?

I am well versed in various areas of quality assurance. I have experience with web, mobile, and desktop platforms, testing them manually as well as automatically.

How does Testlio’s pay compare to your market rate?

All things considered, it’s quite good. But more than the pay, it’s the experience received in Testlio that is priceless.

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

I did not have breaks at the beginning, but now I have an agreement with myself that I will not take more than a specific amount of hours during the week. Now, I manage to have a full-time job, freelance on Testlio, train 3 times per week, spend enough time with my family, and yes, sleep the minimum 8 hours daily. I plan my schedule ahead, so I don’t face any major difficulties in that regard.

What motivates you professionally?

I’m really motivated by the people around me, their passion and professionalism. I try to avoid toxic people, who always complain about their life – they take too much energy that may be spent in other ways.

What’s an interesting fact about yourself?

Let me tell a joke instead 🙂

A QA engineer walks into a bar.
Orders a beer.
Orders 0 beers.
Orders 99999999999 beers.
Orders a lizard.
Orders -1 beers.
Orders a ueicbksjdhd.
The first real customer walks in and asks where the bathroom is. The bar bursts into flames.

What apps do you use that you can recommend?

I like to use Spotify for music, Strava and Garmin connect for sport. I have a lot of Xiaomi devices at home, so I use Mi Home.

How would you convince a friend to join Testlio?

All my friends are already active Testlio testers! 🙂

Do you like software testing? Join Testlio and be part of our amazing network of testers!