Interview with Test Manager Michaela from KBC

From art to testing and how she started testing applications for the Belgian banking giant from Brno.

Míša has had a very unusual career path from art to testing. In this interview, you will learn how she got to her job
as a Test Engineer at KBC thanks to the Czechitas Academy and what challenges and successes she encountered
along the way. Misha shares her experience, inspiration and advice for anyone considering a career in Testing.

Míša has had a very unusual career path from art to testing. In this interview, you will learn how she got to her job as a Test Engineer at KBC thanks to the Czechitas Academy and what challenges and successes she encountered along the way. Misha shares her experience, inspiration and advice for anyone considering a career in Testing.

Misha, could you tell us something about yourself and your job title?

Of course, I'd love to. I've been at KBC for less than four years. I started as a Test Engineer, I have also worked my way up to Business Solution Analyst and I am currently Test Manager. I am in charge of test strategies and test process optimization.

The main focus of my work is to coordinate and manage project and regression testing activities and develop automation within testing. I work primarily with Product Owners, Scrum Masters, System Architects and last but not least with test and development teams to integrate optimal testing into development processes. An integral part of my work is creating training and hands-on workshops on testing theory, automation and QA strategy.

How did the Digital Testing Academy course help you in what you are doing now and what was your motivation to attend the academy?

Thanks to the Czechitas Academy, the doors to a world that was completely unknown to me were opened. For me, the world of IT was associated with dark, windowless offices where developers hide, whose life is just code and nothing more. I knew nothing about testing and couldn't really imagine how important and dynamic a growing industry it actually is.

A confluence of factors brought me to the course. During my parental leave, I returned to university and graduated from the MUNI Faculty of Arts in Interactive Media Theory. I wanted to dive into a career in the gallery environment after completing my MA. However, these plans were thwarted by the advent of Covid, which unfortunately caused cultural institutions to close and the gates to the art world literally shut in my face. So, I also closed my diploma in the closet, sent my video business card to Czechitas and signed up for the Digital Testing Academy.

How did the Digital Testing Academy course help you in what you are doing now and what was your motivation to attend the academy?

Thanks to the Czechitas Academy, the doors to a world that was completely unknown to me were opened. For me, the world of IT was associated with dark, windowless offices where developers hide, whose life is just code and nothing more. I knew nothing about testing and couldn't really imagine how important and dynamic a growing industry it actually is.

A confluence of factors brought me to the course. During my parental leave, I returned to university and graduated from the MUNI Faculty of Arts in Interactive Media Theory. I wanted to dive into a career in the gallery environment after completing my MA. However, these plans were thwarted by the advent of Covid, which unfortunately caused cultural institutions to close and the gates to the art world literally shut in my face. So, I also closed my diploma in the closet, sent my video business card to Czechitas and signed up for the Digital Testing Academy.

How did the courses go, what did you learn?

As I mentioned, the time I joined the Digital Testing Academy in 2021 was the Covid era. So the entire four-month course, including the 12-hour Hackathon and the final gala, was conducted entirely online. So my late afternoons and weekends meant sitting in front of monitors, with headphones on, spending time in the virtual company of fellow students, tutors and coaches. Even field trips to partner companies, including KBC, took place in an online environment.

After a theoretical introduction to software testing, we learned about testing principles and methods, how to create test analysis, write tests and use ticketing tools such as Jira to create and run them. Other topics included SQL databases, API testing, automation and Java scripting basics, working in an agile environment, as well as career workshops and presentation skills training.

How did the courses go, what did you learn?

As I mentioned, the time I joined the Digital Testing Academy in 2021 was the Covid era. So the entire four-month course, including the 12-hour Hackathon and the final gala, was conducted entirely online. So my late afternoons and weekends meant sitting in front of monitors, with headphones on, spending time in the virtual company of fellow students, tutors and coaches. Even field trips to partner companies, including KBC, took place in an online environment.

After a theoretical introduction to software testing, we learned about testing principles and methods, how to create test analysis, write tests and use ticketing tools such as Jira to create and run them. Other topics included SQL databases, API testing, automation and Java scripting basics, working in an agile environment, as well as career workshops and presentation skills training.

How did you get into KBC after the course?

Coincidentally, I started working at KBC during the Digital Academy. A friend who used to work at KBC learned that I had started training at Czechitas and that I would soon be looking for a job in testing. He knew that KBC was looking for testers, so he recommended me. After an interview, during which I got along very well with my future team leader, I was offered the position of Junior Test Engineer. So, after joining, I spent two months alternating between absorbing new information from the work environment during the day and continuing my education at Czechitas classes in the evenings and weekends. However, I won't disguise it, they were indeed very intense and challenging weeks.

I was introduced to the business content specific to our domain at KBC. The basics of testing and testing techniques from DA helped me a lot in the beginning and were enough for me to quickly get oriented in my role as a tester and thus transfer the theoretical knowledge into practice. Two weeks after joining, I executed the regression BAU sets.

How did you get into KBC after the course?

Coincidentally, I started working at KBC during the Digital Academy. A friend who used to work at KBC learned that I had started training at Czechitas and that I would soon be looking for a job in testing. He knew that KBC was looking for testers, so he recommended me. After an interview, during which I got along very well with my future team leader, I was offered the position of Junior Test Engineer. So, after joining, I spent two months alternating between absorbing new information from the work environment during the day and continuing my education at Czechitas classes in the evenings and weekends. However, I won't disguise it, they were indeed very intense and challenging weeks.

I was introduced to the business content specific to our domain at KBC. The basics of testing and testing techniques from DA helped me a lot in the beginning and were enough for me to quickly get oriented in my role as a tester and thus transfer the theoretical knowledge into practice. Two weeks after joining, I executed the regression BAU sets.

What applications and systems do you test?

We test both applications and systems that the end client sees, such as mobile and web banking. But we also test the internal banking systems, databases and programs behind them and how they work properly with each other.

What applications and systems do you test?

We test both applications and systems that the end client sees, such as mobile and web banking. But we also test the internal banking systems, databases and programs behind them and how they work properly with each other.

How were the first weeks in your new job at KBC?

The first weeks were really hard for me. As I mentioned, the combination of the Digital Academy and onboarding to KBC was intense, and since I couldn't go to the office thanks to Covid, the whole training was online, mostly self-study and watching pre-recorded video tutorials. Fortunately, there was and still is a great system of buddies in the Q-hub (Testing Centre in KBC). So I had a lot of support and help from my senior colleagues. They patiently answered my questions on a daily basis throughout the first month, helped me understand things that were not clear to me and helped me incredibly to get into the whole domain despite the fact that I had no previous experience or knowledge of the banking sector.

What do you like most about working at KBC and who would you recommend it to?

What I appreciate most in my work is the people around me, both in Brno and in Belgium. I am very grateful for the relaxed atmosphere, inspiring team dynamics and generally friendly community at KBC. I enjoy the opportunity to share my knowledge and learn from each other. As a team, we often face difficult challenges and solving them brings us closer not only as colleagues but also as friends. In my opinion, working in testing is ideal for people who have an open mind, an analytical mindset, and solving bugs and problems is their positive motivation, not their fear. As a grey eminence, the tester walks through the software development process and, as the heart of the whole system, gives it the necessary consistency and quality.

How were the first weeks in your new job at KBC?

The first weeks were really hard for me. As I mentioned, the combination of the Digital Academy and onboarding to KBC was intense, and since I couldn't go to the office thanks to Covid, the whole training was online, mostly self-study and watching pre-recorded video tutorials. Fortunately, there was and still is a great system of buddies in the Q-hub (Testing Centre in KBC). So I had a lot of support and help from my senior colleagues. They patiently answered my questions on a daily basis throughout the first month, helped me understand things that were not clear to me and helped me incredibly to get into the whole domain despite the fact that I had no previous experience or knowledge of the banking sector.

What do you like most about working at KBC and who would you recommend it to?

What I appreciate most in my work is the people around me, both in Brno and in Belgium. I am very grateful for the relaxed atmosphere, inspiring team dynamics and generally friendly community at KBC. I enjoy the opportunity to share my knowledge and learn from each other. As a team, we often face difficult challenges and solving them brings us closer not only as colleagues but also as friends. In my opinion, working in testing is ideal for people who have an open mind, an analytical mindset, and solving bugs and problems is their positive motivation, not their fear. As a grey eminence, the tester walks through the software development process and, as the heart of the whole system, gives it the necessary consistency and quality.

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