Skill development list

See blog post: Skill development list - explanation, to read some background.

For 2013 I've decided to start from scratch (almost) since the old list was cluttered with items not really relevant anymore. Go check out Skill development list (old) to find my previous version (more relevant to people starting out with testing I think).

Knowledge
  • Attend BBST
  • Attend other test courses
  • Try Skype coaching (as student)
Practice
  • Write a test report and share it on the blog
  • Give Weekend testing a spin
  • Practice a test related skill and publish the results on the blog
  • Conduct learning experiments
  • Practice test visualization and share the results/insights
  • Join some open source project as a tester
Social Networking
  • Attend a testing conference in Sweden
    • SWET 4 - November 2012
    • Signed up for Let's Test - May 2013
  • Attend a testing conference abroad
    • CAST - August 2013
  • Host a local test meetup (EAST)
    • EAST Meetup at Ericsson - October 2012
  • Introduce others to EAST
    • Several old colleagues from Ericsson

Spread Knowledge
  • Send in abstracts to test conferences
    • CAST - February 2013
  • Present at my new work
  • Present at a local meetup/conference
    • EAST - 2013
    • ConTest - 2013
  • Present at a national/international test conference
    • CAST - August 2013
  • Find new ways to help/inspire new testers
Areas I want to learn more about
  • Security testing
    • Reported an exploit to a company I don't work for - June 2013
  • Mobile app testing
Other
  • Develop and share a test tool
  • Write a story for kids about software testing
  • Take actions to become more organized as a tester
    • Creating mind maps to map up my product, problems and learning gaps
  • Learn to explain what I do to someone without a technical background
Continuous/Ambiguous
  • Put family first!
  • Be active in the general test discussions at my work
  • Put what I learn into practice
  • Ask questions when there is something I don't understand
  • Challenge myself
  • Learn to focus when I'm all over the place
  • Weekly refelctions/personal retrospectives
  • Blog at least once a month
  • Get more realistic about my rapidly changing energy/focus (less promises I will break)
Feels good, Slowly improving / not sure about status (yet)Way off

2 comments:

  1. This is just plain awesome! I really like your list and I recommend that EVERY SINGLE TESTER wanting to improve to do the same. By verbalizing your goals they become more clear and, just like you said, they can be revisited when you learn more! Great job, Erik! +1

    BR, Peksi

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  2. Thanks Peksi,

    Just to highlight something important in your comment:
    "to DO the same"
    (I interpret this as doing your own list, not filling in mine)

    The list is a lot more powerful, I believe, if you fully make your own with as little influence from mine or others as possible (to start with). Better a list with one item YOU really want to achieve, rather than a list with 50 items borrowed from "other great minds". I would at least personally find it much harder to feel a commitment to a "generic" goal.

    Which actually reminds me that I need to update mine due to some "too smart generic stuff" .)

    ReplyDelete