DoWeReallyMatter

Being a software tester is not as glamorous as they made it out to be in the media. There are underhanded comments of disrespect that we endure on a daily basis. Often times you get condescended, receiving faux token gestures of appreciation. Software developers will ignore you during technical conversations like parents will with their kids during a dinner party: “Be quiet, son. The adults are talking.” Just because I don’t write code for the company doesn’t mean I can’t write code! If you find a bug early on in development, nobody knows about it. The developer definitely isn’t going to advertise the fact that he wrote a nice bug into the code base. But if a bug gets past you and goes to production, some vice president in the company is coming to your manager asking why you didn’t test that esoteric case. Why would anyone want such a thankless job? My company actually appreciates testers more than most, but there’s still that lingering feeling—a slight twitch of melancholy, an Ecclesiastical meaningless to it. Why do we do what we do? Is being a software tester really just a weigh station on the way to a better job—like maybe in development? Is it something you do because you can’t find anything else? Is software testing sustainable as a career for young software professionals or do you have to move on to something else to prosper?

My company recently had an auditing agency come in and look at our employees (no, it wasn’t the Bobs from Office Space). This audit was to determine whether some of the people on salary (exempt) should be moved to hourly (nonexempt). Guess who the axe fell on. This auditor said that our software testers should not be classified as exempt software professionals, but instead, they should be classified as requirements validation monkeys. Here are her exact words from the audit report: “While they write some code to automate a product, they are looking at requirements of a product and determining if the software product designed by other team members meets those requirements. These duties do not require the exercise of discretion and independent judgment described under the administrative exemption or are they the type of computer programming duties described as exempt under the computer employee exemption. “ As a simple requirements validation monkey, I would like to throw a big load of pooh at this lady. “Not required the exercise of discretion and independent judgment”? The insult! We’re not REAL software professions like the software developers and engineers? Double insult! I got my 4 year CS degree just like those guys!

My journey to the Simple Design and Testing Conference will be an odyssey of sorts. Not to be too melodramatic, but I want to figure out whether I want to do this anymore. I have always loved software testing, and it has always given me a sense of purpose and satisfaction. But lately, I’m not feeling it. What’s the real value do we as software testers bring to the table? Please, put away your metrics and bug reports. You won’t convince me with that. I really mean it. WHAT DO WE REALLY DO? WHAT VALUE DO WE BRING? ARE WE JUST A CHECK BOX FOR SOME VICE PRESIDENT OF IT TO SAY “YES” WE DO HAVE AN SQA TEAM? OR DO WE REALLY MATTER? I WANT A RAW, SERIOUS DISCUSSION ABOUT THIS TOPIC. NO CANNED ANSWERS ALLOWED. DON’T BRING CLICHÉ. LET’S REALLY BREAK IT DOWN TO A PHILOSOPHICAL LEVEL. IF YOU DON’T WANT TO GET DEEP, STEER CLEAR OF THIS TOPIC. AND JUST TO BE CLEAR: ANYONE THAT MENTIONS DOCUMENTION, METRICS, CHARTS, ETC AS VALUE ADDED WILL BE SHOT ON SIGHT!