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Solo but not alone: Navigating life as a lone quality engineer - Into the MoTaverse - Episode 9

In this episode of Into the MoTaverse, Rosie Sherry sits down with quality engineer and MoTaverse ambassador Judy Mosley to discuss her unconventional path into tech and the realities of being a "lone tester." Judy reflects on her transition from a stay-at-home mom to a tech professional, highlighting how seeing relatable, authentic women in leadership gave her the permission to lead as her true self. Their conversation explores the "world-building" aspect of quality, where establishing the right environment and communication style is just as important as finding bugs.

The dialogue shifts into the practicalities of working as a solo QA, where Judy emphasizes that trust is the primary currency. She shares her innovative uses of Slack, from using "lists" to document team decisions to being transparent about using AI to assist with tedious bug reporting.

The episode concludes with a powerful reminder on the importance of community: when you are the only advocate for quality in a company, finding your people is essential for growth, sanity, and staying challenged in an ever-evolving industry.

Learn more about Judy Mosley

Learn more about Rosie Sherry


Comments

Rey Mark Lucentes
What resonated most was Judy's point about how multiple QAs help each other grow. My teammate and I were actually hired as data entry for an ecommerce store, but along the way we were also given testing tasks. I really enjoy it, but I can't say the same for my teammate — she wasn't hired specifically for this role, so she does what she can. We don't really feed off each other for growth, and we have no mentor giving us feedback, so I genuinely don't know how I'm doing as a QA. It's been almost six years. I once had the chance to join a dedicated QA team but turned it down, hoping things would improve where I was. There's some regret, but I can't turn back time. I'm hoping to find new work next year once I've saved up. I still can't fully picture what an actual QA team feels like, but from conversations here on MOT, I recognize so much of what people describe — which tells me I'm doing something right. I want this to be my lifelong career, and I hope to join a proper team soon.

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