25+ years in the quality space

31 May 2026

When I started out in testing, I got uninspired pretty quickly, my job looked something like:
  • review specs
  • write test plans
  • write test scripts, spreadsheets and word docs, oh my
  • do the tests, mostly manually
  • repeat on the limited browsers of the time (even Netscape!)
  • raise bugs, oh Bugzilla, how I remember you.
  • find time for exploratory testing, raise more bugs
  • retest, retest, retest
  • occassional meetings with others, but not nearly enough

Honestly, I struggled often got bored. (And that's a big reason the MoTaverse exists today).

Today, it looks so different. And for me, I refer to it as quality engineering.

It's sytems thinking. It's coaching. It's collaborating with the team. It's looking at risks. It's automating what we can. And it's also recognising that many things cannot be automated. It's showing care for all that we do. It's continuous quality thinking, shift-everywhere or whatever term you want to use, rather doing most of the testing at the end.

Quality engineering, what a career to have now. It's varied. It can be very technical, or often not. There are opportunities to be hands, or lead from a more high level or coaching angle. And many people who have started in testing have gone on to be amazing engineering managers, with that awesome understanding of what quality is.

And in the AI world, this only gets more interesting and complex.

It's important to reflect. 25 years have gone by in a flash. Sometimes it feels like yesterday, and it's easy to forget that change has happened. And it will continue to do so.

Quality Engineering is something I continue to be excited about and advcotate for.
Rosie Sherry
CEO & Founder at Ministry of Testing
She/Her

I've been working in the software testing and quality engineering space since the year 2000 whilst also combining it with my love for education and community. It turns out quality, community and education go nicely hand in hand.

๐ŸŽ“ MoT-STEC qualified

Team Account Member
MoTaverse Team
Chapter Lead
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