Metamorphosis: Year One
It’s been a full year of working as a Software Quality Assurance Engineer.
How time flies.
I remember when I got my offer letter to resume on the 15th of May 2017. I was excited. I got this job even before I was done with my final year project. I wasn’t the smartest in my class or the one with the best grades but I was the one who got this job and for this I was grateful.
Honestly, it’s been a journey and I have felt all kinds of emotions on this job. I woke up this morning and decided to reflect on how far I have come.
These are three lessons I have learnt so far:
Sometimes, your growth won’t be obvious to you.
I remember thinking that I wasn’t getting better at my job until one day I analyzed myself. I noticed that I no longer shied away from testing API tickets. I noticed that having a lot of things to test no longer freaked me out but got me excited. I noticed that my company trusted me enough to let me handle a project all by myself. If that isn’t growth, I don’t know what is. Always remember that growth is in the little things. You may not see it immediately but they all add up to become something significant.
It helps to talk to someone.
In this one year, there have been times when I felt like I was where I’m supposed to be and I’m conquering life. There are other times when I am filled with doubt asking myself what I’m doing here. It was only when I started opening up to people that I realized that these feelings are absolutely normal and that nothing was wrong with me. Words of encouragement go a long way in making us feel better. I remember the many discussions I had with my friend and colleague (Nifemi) about stages and processes in life. Those conversations kept me going. I began to embrace these feelings and when I notice doubt start to creep in, I find something to get me excited. Sometimes, it’s in exploring other fields in my free time or travelling. Other times, it’s reading up articles on software testing that reminds me that I am a superwoman set to conquer the universe one test at a time :)
Give yourself credit
A lot of times, especially for the ladies we suffer from impostor syndrome. We don’t believe that we have merited our positions. Sometimes I feel like I will soon be discovered for the fraud I am in the industry. Interestingly, I am not alone. Reading books and realizing that even wonder women such as Sheryl Sandberg and Shonda Rhimes still feel this way even after all they have accomplished have made me feel better about myself. Now, I am committed to giving myself credit when due and accepting compliments when they come instead of shying away from them. Doesn’t make the impostor syndrome go away completely but it makes me more confident in my abilities and helps me strive to be better
It’s been an immense pleasure working with the brightest and most talented minds in the industry; People that in some way provide value to one another.
I may not be entirely sure what the future holds for me, but I have learnt that in the process of self-discovery, always exercise diligence and excellence wherever you find yourself because those are skills that matter regardless of where you end up
Cheers to one year of badassery and many more to come.
