What I Learned About Testing Software By Becoming A Developer, Then A CEO - David Christiansen

Talk Description

Testing software saved my professional life. I was miserable in my corporate IT project manager job, so I started testing software on the side and teaching others to test software. Eventually I got a full-time job as a tester at a startup, where I found a ton of happiness testing user stories, preparing releases, and triaging customer bug reports.

Three years later I took a new job as a software developer, helping entrepreneurs launch new businesses. I launched a new product every six - nine months for three years until my own software business became successful enough to support my family.

Today I am the CEO of TroopTrack.com, and I find I have learned a lot about testing software since I stopped doing it as a "tester". In this session I will share things I have learned that will help testers have empathy for developers and leaders and function more effectively as a critical member of an agile team.

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David Christiansen

Vice President of Engineering

I've been involved in software development off and on ever since I was thirteen, when my dad paid me $4/hour to write one of the first desktop applications for prequalifying customers for life insurance policies. I've written software, managed projects, and tested products used for lots of things: building helicopters, finding the perfect gift, applying for public assistance, training executives, printing insurance policies, tracking infectious diseases, managing cellular services, crowdfunding businesses, and more.