Meet a Tester: Toshi

In Meet a Tester, we feature QA experts from our community who share their love for quality and Testlio. Toshi is a freelance software tester from Japan.

Where are you from?

I’m from the main island of Japan. My native languages are English and Japanese. I was born in Japan but our family moved to the United States before I learned to talk, so I ended up learning two languages simultaneously. 

What is your educational background? 

Back in high school, I received a certification in graphic arts and the highest degree in EIKEN (certification of English proficiency).

After graduating from high school in the U.S., I moved to Japan to complete my education at a Japanese University and got a bachelor’s degree in Economics. 

How did you end up testing for Testlio?

A friend of mine sent me a text one day and suggested that I should look up Testlio because they were looking for testers in Japan. I’m grateful to him because without his text I wouldn’t have known about this platform. I visited the website, learned about the company, and decided it was something I wanted to do (Kristel’s story on why she decided to create Testlio was very motivating). So, I went for it and I am glad that I did.

What is it that you like about Testlio?

I’m pretty sure this is the same for many fellow testers but what I like most about Testlio are the people. The admins, test leads, and fellow testers are all diligent, considerate, and eager to help. I was lucky to have a fun and learning experience on the first project I was invited to. The test lead guided me through some aspects I didn’t understand. In the end, I was able to complete all the test cases and create my first reports thanks to their help. This experience gave me a good first impression of testing here at Testlio. 

What are your specialties?


I don’t have any specific specialties regarding apps or platforms. I’ve never received any formal training in computing, except for a few classes in grade school and at college, but I’ve been fortunate to have had access to computers from a young age. I learned programming when I was very young. I never thought of it as something I wanted to pursue but it has helped me to adapt, navigate through, and work on various software and platforms. 

Also, in my previous employment, I was lucky enough to be involved in a project which included various servers (UNIX and Windows), customized client software, routers, and networks (different type of dedicated circuits). I had a lot to learn but that experience has helped me throughout my career.


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

I think we are being paid fairly for the work we do, so the rate is very appealing. Even if we go overtime for tasks that may take longer than expected, and provided we have a good reason for it, we get compensated. 

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

I just set priorities on what I want to accomplish each day. I dedicate most of my energy into the top few things I want to complete on a given day. Having said that, there are certain things that are necessities for me. These things are good sleep, exercising, learning, healthy eating, and making time for loved ones. l have learned from first-hand experience that by ignoring them, good results are hard to achieve in the long run. So I make sure to include these activities into my day.

What motivates you professionally?


Clarity is something that motivates me professionally as well as privately. What I learned from life is that the ability to respond and act sensibly to each moment as if it’s the first time is essential for happiness. We, humans, tend to generally act out of habit so moving out of our comfort zone can be very challenging at times. However, when we are able to think clearly and are not affected by our past experiences and fears, we usually gain something wonderful and lose something that was unnecessary to us. It takes a lot of effort sometimes but it is something I have been working on constantly every day, for quite a long time.


What’s an interesting fact about yourself?

Believe it or not, I used to skateboard with a passion. I had been doing it on and off after high school but when I was younger, way younger, decades ago, I considered skateboarding as one of my creative channels. I enjoyed skateboarding in my hometown with my friends. The environment was great. I haven’t skateboarded in a long time, but I still enjoy expressing creativity through other mediums. I continue to do so through drawing, playing instruments, and cooking.
 

What are some apps you use that provide a great user experience? 

There are so many great apps available these days. Recently I’ve really been enjoying: Duolingo, MediBang, Cookpad, and KORG Gadget. 
I’m having fun learning Spanish on Duolingo. It’s pretty amazing. If I had this app in high school, learning French would have been so much easier and enjoyable. An art app I like using is, MediBang – I use it for coloring and enhancing the background in drawings I do. Cooking is something I enjoy a lot and Cookpad is an app I like to use. And lastly, for creating music the KORG Gadget is fun to use.

How would you convince a friend to join Testlio?

I would convince them by telling them that if they want to work in an environment where one can consistently learn new things, meet new people, and feel a sense of accomplishment, they should definitely join Testlio.