The last couple of years I have tended to write blog posts at the change of the year. One to summarize the year that is ending and one to list the things I am looking forward to in the coming year. This time it is different. It feels different.
Changes
Much has happened this year. As I was considering how to encapsulate it, I read over the posts on changing from 2011 to 2012. I must admit, I had to smile. Much has happened, still much remains to be done.
What has happened? Well, in August I submitted my resignation to the company where I was working. My "old company" had been bought by a much larger competitor and I found myself in a struggle to keep myself focused on what my goals and values were. I was a little surprised because I had worked for large companies in the past - most of my working life in fact, had been with large companies.
The surprising thing to the person I was a few years ago, was that I resigned without a "company" to go to. I went independent. I struck out on my own with a letter of marque sailing against any and every - oh, no, umm - that is being a privateer - not a working independent test professional. Meh, whatever.
But, that is what I did. The roots for this lie in this post I wrote late in 2011. Looking back, it was the natural progression of where I was going from and where I was going to.
Now, I did have a contract lined up - which has since been extended. This made the opportunity a little easier than jumping in cold-turkey - or deciding to go independent after being let go. I concede this was an advantage.
Of course, now I am working even harder - not simply at "the day job" but in my writing, my learning and my attempts to understand things better. The push from being sacked, as described in the blog post mentioned above, seems to have led me to the point where I hoisted my own flag, and have so far, avoided being hoist with my own petard.
People
I have been very fortunate in my meetings and comings and goings this past year. Given the opportunity to speak in Portland at PNSQC and then in Potsdam at Agile Testing Days, I met a massive number of people I had only read of, or read their words. It was inspiring, encouraging and humbling all at once. In both instances, I found it easy to not be the smartest person in the room. I had a pile of people there I could relate to and learn from.
To each of you, I am deeply indebted. Its a long list - let's see. There's Matt Heusser, who is still a bundle of energy and ideas. Michael Larsen, who is really amazingly smart. Bernie Berger, Markus Gartner, Janet Gregory, Gojko Adzic, Huib Schoots, Sigge Birgisson, Paul Gerrard, Simon Morley, Jurgen Appelo, James Lindsay, Michael Dedolph, Linda Rising, Ben Simo, and.... the list really does kind of go on.
The people I continue to find to be wonderful teachers and gentle instructors (sometimes not so gentle as well) sometimes through conversation, emails, IM/Skype chats, blog posts and articles. They include, in no particular order, Elizabeth Hendrickson, Fiona Charles, James Bach, Paul Holand, Michael Bolton, Cem Kaner, Jon Bach, Catherine Powell, Griffin Jones. There are others, but these folks came to mind as I was writing this.
Community
Wow. This year has been amazing. The local group, the GR Testers, are meeting every month, with a variety of people showing up - not "the same folks every time" but people wandering in to check it out. I find this exciting.
AST - Association for Software Testing
What an amazing group of people this is, and is continuing to develop into. The Education Special Interest Group (EdSIG) is continuing to be an area of interest. Alas, my intention of participating in "more courses" has been impacted by life stuff. I've been able to assist with a couple of Foundations sessions for the BBST course, and offered ideas on some discussions but that is about all.
This past August I was honored to be elected to the Board of Directors of AST. My participation continues to be as much as I can give on a regular basis - including monitoring/moderating the Forums on the AST website (a really under utilized resource, perhaps we can change this in the coming year) and the LinkedIn AST group's discussion forum (mostly whacking spam).
A new and exciting development is the Test Leadership Special Interest Group - LeadershipSIG. This new group is looking into all sorts of interesting questions around Test Management and Test Leadership and - well - stuff - including the interesting question of the difficulty of finding and recruiting Context Driven Test leaders, managers and directors.
CAST is scheduled for August in Madison, Wisconsin. This is going to be good.
Other Conference / Community Stuff
Conferences coming up include STPCon - in San Diego in April. Also in April is GLSEC - Great Lakes Software Excellence Conference - that one is in Grand Rapids. QAI's QUEST conference is also scheduled for the Spring.
There are several conferences I've considered submitting proposals to - and I suspect it is time to do more than consider.
Writing - Oh my. I have several projects I've been working through. I am really excited about some of the potential opportunities. I'm pretty geeked about this.
Overall, I am excited about what 2013 may hold. It strikes me that things that have been set up over the last several years are coming into place. What is in store? I do not know. I believe it is going to be good.
After all. I am writing this the evening of December 23. According to some folks, the world was supposed to end a couple of days ago. What those folks don't understand is that everything changes. All the time. Marking sequences and patterns and tracking them is part of what every society does. They don't end. Simply turn the page.
Let us rise up together.
Showing posts with label Community. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Community. Show all posts
Monday, December 24, 2012
Monday, August 1, 2011
More Cool Stuff from AST
In July I blogged about being nominated for a position on the Board of Directors for the Association for Software Testing. You can find more on AST at the website. Its a cool group made up of interesting people.
So last week we got together and talked via Skype. It was half-jokingly referred to as a "debate" but it was less debate and more people talking about what they are interested in. (Come to think of it, there was a good deal of information shared and straight-forward answers given than in the pretend-political debates in the US the last several election cycles.)
In the course of the "ramp-up" some of us sent messages via twitter on what would be happening. That was picked up by a couple of other folks who asked if there would be a Q&A session via twitter. So, why not? We ran it by some other folks and picked a day and time...
So the DAY is TODAY! The First of August - 9:00 to 10:00 PM Eastern Time (yeah, I know, very US centric but its when those of us on twitter are available...) If you are interested in the AST and the elections, and want to participate in the town hall meeting on twitter, just follow the hashtag #ASTElect.
More information on the "almost debate" and the Twitter Town-Hall-Meeting will be available here.
So last week we got together and talked via Skype. It was half-jokingly referred to as a "debate" but it was less debate and more people talking about what they are interested in. (Come to think of it, there was a good deal of information shared and straight-forward answers given than in the pretend-political debates in the US the last several election cycles.)
In the course of the "ramp-up" some of us sent messages via twitter on what would be happening. That was picked up by a couple of other folks who asked if there would be a Q&A session via twitter. So, why not? We ran it by some other folks and picked a day and time...
So the DAY is TODAY! The First of August - 9:00 to 10:00 PM Eastern Time (yeah, I know, very US centric but its when those of us on twitter are available...) If you are interested in the AST and the elections, and want to participate in the town hall meeting on twitter, just follow the hashtag #ASTElect.
More information on the "almost debate" and the Twitter Town-Hall-Meeting will be available here.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
A Moment's Thought: AST and Walking Among the Mighty
The morning of June 24, I opened my email and found a message that said, in part:
Gobsmacked does not begin to describe my reaction. Astounded? Thunderstuck? Not even close.
I asked a few questions. Actually, I asked a lot of questions. They involved expected time commitment, level of involvement and things of that nature. Mostly I was looking to weigh those expectations against the needs of my family and my day-job, you know, testing.
My problem, as my lady-wife well knows, is this: When I agree to something, I dive in head first and will put in massive amounts of time and energy to fulfill that commitment. In the past, it has sometimes been to the detriment of other things. I have learned to limit myself carefully. It can be a struggle to set aside things that are emotionally and mentally rewarding to deal with things that are more mundane, yet pressing, like painting the house or fixing that drip in the kitchen faucet. Let's face it, some things are just more fun than others. Sure, they all leave you with a sense of satisfaction, like, the house looks really nice or the annoying drip is not wasting water and costing money. Still, they don't have the mental stimulation that sharing time with people equally passionate about things as you are does.
I had come across the Association for Software Testing some time ago. How long ago, I don't rightly recall. It was while reading "Lessons Learned in Software Testing" that I read of the "Context Driven School of Testing." What I read made sense. It rang more true to me than the more procedural or dogmatic oriented approaches to testing. There was a reference to a Yahoo email group in the back of the book, and I signed up, and was accepted.
I remember reading in there of the Association for Software Testing and organizing a conference. Me, I stayed on the sidelines and dealt with other things, watching and observing the discussions with interest.
Fast forward several years.
In the fall of 2009, I found myself at a conference in Toronto, going in place of my boss, who could not attend at the last moment. I landed there. While I was sitting at breakfast, realizing that the nice friendly lady at the table chatting with the handful of us was Fiona Charles, whose writings I had read for some time, a voice rang out.
"Pete Walen! The last time we talked you had just been fired for doing your job!" With that, Michael Bolton sat down next to Fiona and tore into his breakfast along with the rest of us. (Talk about instant street-cred with a table full of people you have never met...) Mind you, we had "talked" by email and discussion forum posts and never in person.
Later at the same conference I met Lynn McKee and Nancy Kelln. Both left me absolutely amazed at their energy and excitement. In the midst of a lively discussion around measurement, metrics, goals and the like, huge issues for the company I was working for at the time, Michael and Fiona both said "You should join AST, you'd be very happy with that group." (Actually, that was a paraphrase of what was said, but you get the idea.)
Later that month, after returning home, I bought myself a birthday present of an AST membership. Shortly after returning home I met (in person) Matt Heusser. Rarely have I met someone with as much drive, energy and focus as Matt. He confirmed that joining AST was absolutely the right thing for me. Since that first meeting, Matt and I have worked to get the local tester group meeting, and helping its members, on a regular basis.
My first experience at CAST came the next summer. Another eye-opening experience. I met Fiona again, was introduced to Griffin Jones and a whole host of other people. I blogged very excitedly about it at the time. (See? Here and here.)
This spring I took the BBST Foundations course. The coursework was only part of the experience. Meeting people of differing backgrounds from around the world, even cyberly, was fantastic. I remain in contact with several of the class particpants through Skype and Twitter. Gotta love technology.
James and Jon Bach, Karen Johnson and others I met in person and was able to spend time in conversation with helped me better my undersanding of my chosen craft. Each of them are inspirational in their own way.
I was asked once, quite recently, what I liked about AST and why I kept my membership current, and did I think it was "worth it." Is it "worth it?" Absolutely. Why?
That took a bit more thought.
I realized that at the core of it, was the community that was the center of the Association. I found a group of people who may not agree with you (or even each other) on a topic and were willing to discuss ir like, well, adult professionals Many of the members I have met demonstrate traits that I associate with people who are true masters of their craft. They will discuss an idea with you in order to learn, and posibly inform their own understanding of the concept. Of course, there is also the chance of teaching you and sharing their understanding with you.
Another thing I find attracting me to AST is the focus on Context. It is not merely being Context Aware. It is keeping Context at the center. It was the idea of Context Driven Testing that I found appealing originally when reading Lessons Learned. It is still sppealing to me. This recognition that context can and must color and drive testing and discussions arouind testing has pushed me to be a better tester, a better colleague and professional, and a better craftsman.
There have been many people who have encouraged me and pushed me forward in my development as a tester. Those I named stand out for the mark they made and their willingness to talk with me easily, without let or reservation.
That is the third and most important point to me. Many AST members, from the very famous "someones" to the other faces in the crowd, are willing to put in time and effort to better the community of testers as a whole.
I am deeply honored to have been nominated for the Board of AST. I realized that if I had the opportunity to pass on the gifts I had received, I would. Someone like me who is not a jet-setting "famous tester" or author of testing books or a famous consultant, yet is one of the many who want to better themselves and those around them in their trade and craft, has a choice. We can allow the great ones of our craft to engage in this work alone. Or, we can say "Should I be elected by the members, I would serve."
I see it as an opportunity to "do my bit" for the greater good. Therefor, as I responded to the email, I am interested in running for the Board of Directors.
I was told I would need to prepare a short statement about my interest in AST. I'm suspect this is not "short" enough.
...you have been nominated for AST's 2011-2012 Board of Directors Election. The Nominations and Elections Committee needs to confirm you are willing to run for the Board Of Directors. Can you confirm or disconfirm your interest in running?
Gobsmacked does not begin to describe my reaction. Astounded? Thunderstuck? Not even close.
I asked a few questions. Actually, I asked a lot of questions. They involved expected time commitment, level of involvement and things of that nature. Mostly I was looking to weigh those expectations against the needs of my family and my day-job, you know, testing.
My problem, as my lady-wife well knows, is this: When I agree to something, I dive in head first and will put in massive amounts of time and energy to fulfill that commitment. In the past, it has sometimes been to the detriment of other things. I have learned to limit myself carefully. It can be a struggle to set aside things that are emotionally and mentally rewarding to deal with things that are more mundane, yet pressing, like painting the house or fixing that drip in the kitchen faucet. Let's face it, some things are just more fun than others. Sure, they all leave you with a sense of satisfaction, like, the house looks really nice or the annoying drip is not wasting water and costing money. Still, they don't have the mental stimulation that sharing time with people equally passionate about things as you are does.
I had come across the Association for Software Testing some time ago. How long ago, I don't rightly recall. It was while reading "Lessons Learned in Software Testing" that I read of the "Context Driven School of Testing." What I read made sense. It rang more true to me than the more procedural or dogmatic oriented approaches to testing. There was a reference to a Yahoo email group in the back of the book, and I signed up, and was accepted.
I remember reading in there of the Association for Software Testing and organizing a conference. Me, I stayed on the sidelines and dealt with other things, watching and observing the discussions with interest.
Fast forward several years.
In the fall of 2009, I found myself at a conference in Toronto, going in place of my boss, who could not attend at the last moment. I landed there. While I was sitting at breakfast, realizing that the nice friendly lady at the table chatting with the handful of us was Fiona Charles, whose writings I had read for some time, a voice rang out.
"Pete Walen! The last time we talked you had just been fired for doing your job!" With that, Michael Bolton sat down next to Fiona and tore into his breakfast along with the rest of us. (Talk about instant street-cred with a table full of people you have never met...) Mind you, we had "talked" by email and discussion forum posts and never in person.
Later at the same conference I met Lynn McKee and Nancy Kelln. Both left me absolutely amazed at their energy and excitement. In the midst of a lively discussion around measurement, metrics, goals and the like, huge issues for the company I was working for at the time, Michael and Fiona both said "You should join AST, you'd be very happy with that group." (Actually, that was a paraphrase of what was said, but you get the idea.)
Later that month, after returning home, I bought myself a birthday present of an AST membership. Shortly after returning home I met (in person) Matt Heusser. Rarely have I met someone with as much drive, energy and focus as Matt. He confirmed that joining AST was absolutely the right thing for me. Since that first meeting, Matt and I have worked to get the local tester group meeting, and helping its members, on a regular basis.
My first experience at CAST came the next summer. Another eye-opening experience. I met Fiona again, was introduced to Griffin Jones and a whole host of other people. I blogged very excitedly about it at the time. (See? Here and here.)
This spring I took the BBST Foundations course. The coursework was only part of the experience. Meeting people of differing backgrounds from around the world, even cyberly, was fantastic. I remain in contact with several of the class particpants through Skype and Twitter. Gotta love technology.
James and Jon Bach, Karen Johnson and others I met in person and was able to spend time in conversation with helped me better my undersanding of my chosen craft. Each of them are inspirational in their own way.
I was asked once, quite recently, what I liked about AST and why I kept my membership current, and did I think it was "worth it." Is it "worth it?" Absolutely. Why?
That took a bit more thought.
I realized that at the core of it, was the community that was the center of the Association. I found a group of people who may not agree with you (or even each other) on a topic and were willing to discuss ir like, well, adult professionals Many of the members I have met demonstrate traits that I associate with people who are true masters of their craft. They will discuss an idea with you in order to learn, and posibly inform their own understanding of the concept. Of course, there is also the chance of teaching you and sharing their understanding with you.
Another thing I find attracting me to AST is the focus on Context. It is not merely being Context Aware. It is keeping Context at the center. It was the idea of Context Driven Testing that I found appealing originally when reading Lessons Learned. It is still sppealing to me. This recognition that context can and must color and drive testing and discussions arouind testing has pushed me to be a better tester, a better colleague and professional, and a better craftsman.
There have been many people who have encouraged me and pushed me forward in my development as a tester. Those I named stand out for the mark they made and their willingness to talk with me easily, without let or reservation.
That is the third and most important point to me. Many AST members, from the very famous "someones" to the other faces in the crowd, are willing to put in time and effort to better the community of testers as a whole.
I am deeply honored to have been nominated for the Board of AST. I realized that if I had the opportunity to pass on the gifts I had received, I would. Someone like me who is not a jet-setting "famous tester" or author of testing books or a famous consultant, yet is one of the many who want to better themselves and those around them in their trade and craft, has a choice. We can allow the great ones of our craft to engage in this work alone. Or, we can say "Should I be elected by the members, I would serve."
I see it as an opportunity to "do my bit" for the greater good. Therefor, as I responded to the email, I am interested in running for the Board of Directors.
I was told I would need to prepare a short statement about my interest in AST. I'm suspect this is not "short" enough.
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