The Average Tester: Succeeding Because You Are Not a Rockstar - Beth Marshall

28th September 2020
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Beth Marshall's profile
Beth Marshall

Senior Quality Engineer

The Average Tester: Succeeding Because You Are Not a Rockstar - Beth Marshall image
Talk Description

Have you ever felt overwhelmed or intimidated by the feats of speakers at events like this?  Do you sometimes feel like the industry is moving much faster than you are, and if you don't have all the technical skills under the sun there won't be a job for you?

In a relentless pursuit to conquer technical skills, you may be overlooking things you could be doing which may be more effective in securing your next promotion, or your next role elsewhere, or even your role several years from now?

I would describe myself as an average tester, in a good way.  Like most testers, I don’t have developer level coding knowledge(*gasp*), I haven’t written a book (*gulp*), and I spend my time outside of work mostly on raising my family - but this hasn’t stopped me from carving out a career in testing from scratch, getting re-hired and ex-bosses moving somewhere and hiring me again. I am not exceptional, but, critically, I am also not a dick.

What you’ll learn

By the end of this talk, you'll be able to:

  • Know there’s longevity to just being good at your job and being good to work with
  • Recognise that some people work to pay the bills
  • Believe in yourself more and  recognise the need toinvest in your non-technical skills
  • Know a long term career is achievable without attaining rockstar status
Beth Marshall's profile'

Beth Marshall

Senior Quality Engineer

Beth has been testing for the past 15 years, and has recently joined Lloyds Banking Group as Senior Quality Engineer. Based in Leeds, Beth is a proud member of the global software testing community, and a regular blogger. Talk to her about Software Testing Portfolios, API Testing/Postman and supporting Women in Tech!
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