In part one of this Testing series, Sparta Global introduces our Technical Director, Dan Webb and SDET Spartan, Jacob Stoneman. The series follows an interview between Dan and Jacob, where they discuss the role of a Tester and starting out in the technology industry. Watch out for the next blog…
Our Technical Director, Daniel Webb, has made a career from being an engineer obsessed with quality. However, he’s noticed that QA, or Test Automation, has a reputation for being less exciting than other engineering roles. He sat down with SDET Spartan, Jacob Stoneman, to talk test: what it’s about, what makes it exciting, and why, if you’re the type of gamer who’s completed Eldon Ring, it might be the career for you.
DW: Thanks so much for chatting to me today, Jacob. Tell me a bit about your background, and what you studied in the Sparta Academy.
JS: I studied games design at university, and originally joined Sparta as a C# Developer. However, as there were lots of SDET roles coming up at the time, after graduation I did some extra training on the testing pyramid, the principles of test automation, understanding marks, tools like Selenium and Serenity, and some basic UI automation.
DW: And how did you feel about interviewing for SDET roles instead of pure dev?
JS: For the first few days I felt a bit disappointed, but to be honest I viewed test as a path towards dev. Especially as I’d come from a games dev background, in that industry you’re always told that QA is an entry-level job, which leads you into dev, so in my mind it was just another pathway into the role I wanted. After I’d done a bit of UI and API automation, I thought – this is quite cool! – but I still had the perception that I wanted to be a developer.
DW: I think in the game industry especially, QA is seen as a menial job with not a lot of automation?
JS: Exactly - due to the nature of how games work it’s not something that’s super easy to automate.
DW: Someone I taught and coached was a QA at Rockstar, on Red Dead Redemption 2. I think in that industry you’re doing that sort of role because you love gaming, not because it’s a great career path. Maybe that’s being a wee bit unfair!
JS: That’s what I’ve been told too, and always been my perception of testing.
Click here to find out more about Sparta's Test Engineering roles.
Natasha Fasanotti has always had an interest in technology, pursuing a degree in Computer Science to turn her passion into a career. But when it came to leaving university and picking a path - the options were overwhelming, unclear, and Natasha wanted to find an opportunity that could help her specialise in something that utilised her skills through and through. Joining Sparta Global in February this year, Natasha upskilled in test automation and is now an integral part of a mult-Spartan project team operating in the public sector.
When Ekaterina (Kat) McNeill began her Psychology studies at University, she wouldn’t have predicted a future working in Data and a successful career kickstart working in the public sector – but that’s exactly what Kat has achieved. In fact, her line manager told us how Kat got to grips with complex code with little to no documentation, worked out how to access data that was previously thought inaccessible, and modelled it through a workflow. Her skills have already made an impact on site and we can’t wait to see what Kat does next…
After initially forging a career in Mechanical Engineering, Bradley Woods found himself searching for an opportunity to change careers and pursue an interest in technology. With a firm determination to find training opportunities in DevOps, Bradley joined the Sparta Academy in early 2023 and quickly secured his first role working in the public sector. Nominated for Spartan of the Month for his “dedication and hard work” that have been “instrumental in the smooth execution of high-profile project”, we spoke to Bradley about his time in tech.