Maaret PyhäjärviJan 11, 2024
Thinking back to #TestingDozen as I note I taught #ContinuousIntegration on session 12 of things a tester must learn. https://testing-dozen.github.io
Testing Dozen - a Testing Specialist training/mentoring program

Testing Dozen is a group mentoring program run by Maaret Pyhäjärvi (@maaretp) to create testing specialists

testing-dozen.github.io
Maaret PyhäjärviMay 10, 2023

#TestingDozen session 21 done, and 6-months of training / group mentoring with a group is closed (for now). We started as baker's dozen (13) with 2 trainers, and we ended as an actual dozen including trainers. Pretty good for a program retraining newbies to test and write test automation, admirable persistence. Our sessions are briefly documented at https://testing-dozen.github.io

Next - something. Writing book. Doing broadcast sessions. Setting up a new group in autumn, maybe.

Testing Dozen - a Testing Specialist training/mentoring program

Testing Dozen is a group mentoring program run by Maaret Pyhäjärvi (@maaretp) to create testing specialists

testing-dozen.github.io
Maaret PyhäjärviMay 4, 2023

LOL on an observation from yesterday's #TestingDozen. "We just used an hour in jira documenting testing *without doing any testing*."

Well, a decent sample of how "testing" I dislike gets done, without a care of where the time goes on whether it actually drives forward testing.

Maaret PyhäjärviMay 3, 2023

Session 20 of #TestingDozen done, and one more session to go. Today we talked of Jira and Jira Xray.

A few of the group have found jobs, and a few are looking for jobs - happy to make connections to people I have spent Wednesday evenings with, both aspiring testers and programmers in the group.

All things we've worked our way through are summed on our pages: https://testing-dozen.github.io

Testing Dozen - a Testing Specialist training/mentoring program

Testing Dozen is a group mentoring program run by Maaret Pyhäjärvi (@maaretp) to create testing specialists

testing-dozen.github.io
Maaret PyhäjärviApr 14, 2023

My 6 months weekly with #TestingDozen is approaching the end, and I am supposed to make decisions on what next.

Would I run a second #TestingDozen, this time on mentoring people who already work in testing but lack mentorship that stretches their skills in testing?

Would I run just sessions on various topics instead of focused program?

Would I stop this form of socialising and write more?

Would I work more and stop this volunteering?

Would I just stop figuring out how we grow testing?

Maaret PyhäjärviApr 13, 2023
If you look at time you spend on learning, what is the distribution over time on struggle and time on progress. I have, with #TestingDozen, become an increasingly big believer in the idea that struggle is better when shared, and that particularly for beginners some of the things we struggle with aren't worth the struggle as the guide (another person) could significantly help in lowering the struggle.
Maaret PyhäjärviApr 12, 2023
#TestingDozen today on CI pipelines and even after 18 sessions, there is still more content to teach. I have come to appreciate the group for allowing me to test my group mentoring and activity-based learning approaches on them, and they make me proud. Some by showing clear growth throughout the program, and some by getting employed as testers already during the program. There are 12 of them, so in case you know of beginner testing positions, I would be happy to introduce these folks.
Maaret PyhäjärviMar 1, 2023

#TestingDozen session 13 and we named features because seeing it precedes testing it. There was so much more depth in testing when the test target was not a target-rich (read: buggy) and I am of the opinion that better software makes a better teaching instrument while worse software makes a better motivational instrument for #testing.

We also took tally on skills we have been learning. My tally has no mentions of #python libraries we have been using while at it because tools are secondary.

Show threadMaaret PyhäjärviFeb 22, 2023

I will however be again away from "invoicable work". There's #FutureCreators23, #7NFreelancerNetworking #ScanAgile, #NewCrafts and #EuroSTAR and my own #TestingDozen on my list until June.

Learning a lot while speaking and teaching is not away from the project work. Managers could do better in enabling this.

Maaret PyhäjärviFeb 16, 2023
While I recognise I have teaching value with the #TestingDozen, I am also realizing I have value in holding space for pairing. There was so much positive yesterday in people getting to pair with people that I think we just need more of that. The #TestingTour idea of initiating pairing by social media connections is a much harder route. Thoughts on scaling as goal.