What’s the life as a tester like at Avocado Consulting? Find out from our Test Consultant, David Lam, who started in our graduate program more than a decade ago.
What do you value the most about working at Avocado?
At Avocado, the company, culture and people really stand out. It’s a place where I feel valued for the time and effort I’ve put into work and where I am rewarded for it.
It’s also a place where everyone is always ready to help. This is the great thing about being part of a practice, whenever you need a sounding board there is someone who can provide some insight.
At Avocado, the whole culture is very much family oriented – in terms of being part of the ‘Avocado family’ and finding flexibility for your personal life.
What made you choose the life as a tester?
I became interested in testing during university where I studied a testing subject that was part of my IT degree. The lecturer taught us the value and role of testing and it really sparked my interest. I then started doing my own research into the market and eventually found myself joining Avocado’s graduate program. I’ve been with Avocado and enjoyed the life as a tester ever since.
Tell us about your life as a tester at Avocado?
Avocado has always been there to support me throughout my journey – even when it hasn’t always been smooth. I’ve definitely had a few bumps here and there, but I am at a place where it is accepted as part of the learning process.
Some of the fondest memories I have at Avocado are the regular events where we all get together and just have a good time!
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“Respect is important. At Avocado, we all work together as a Which of Avocado’s ‘BRAVO’ values speaks to you the most? Why?
Respect is important. At Avocado, we all work together as a team and it is important to treat each other with respect. I feel this is a value we should always have – wherever we go and whoever we meet – which is why it stands out the most to me.
What does Avocado’s brand promise ‘deliver with certainty’ mean to you and your approach to clients?
To me, deliver with certainty means having the confidence and ability to deliver quality results with complete client satisfaction.
Has your expectation of what the tech world is like matched the reality? How?
I have always envisioned the tech world to be rapidly changing and that appears to be true from what I have seen so far working with clients. Companies are continually investing and upgrading to the latest technologies to stay competitive. It is a never-ending cycle – but in a positive way because for me, it feels refreshing to constantly learn about new technologies.
What does a typical day look like as a professional tester?
Currently I am in a work from home environment without the daily commute. I can actually sit down and enjoy my breakfast before starting work instead of having my breakfast while at the work desk in the office! Work then kicks off with a daily stand-up meeting over a call and then breeze through the rest of the day doing project work.
What skills are required for a professional tester and how does Avocado support this?
Testing in my opinion is just a small part of work these days. Communication plays a more vital role. Finding a defect is easy but getting the message across to people is tricky. Thankfully, continuous learning is integral to Avocado’s approach, in both technical skills and soft skills. They have continually provided a lot of training in this area through internal and external courses.
What are the biggest changes you have seen in testing?
Companies adopting an Agile approach is definitely the biggest change I’ve witnessed. The old traditional Waterfall methodology is hardly ever seen used nowadays in testing. Our teams are more connected and multidisciplinary. We are also brought in earlier into the development cycle so our roles have changed for the better – that’s because we now can make an impact at every stage of development. If anything, testing has become more respected in that regard.
