“Work would be boring without challenges.” – Dnyaneshwar Suryawanshi’s career story

“My first job in the software industry was as an intern at an Indian company, working with software development and testing. The company offered interns various training programs.”

Dnyaneshwar has been interested in software testing since the start of his career. He applied and was accepted into the company’s manual testing training program. The first project Dnyaneshwar worked on as a tester focused on developing 5G network technology.

His next project took him to the mobile industry.

“We were developing a new mobile phone for the markets. We manually tested the operating system, its functions, and its apps and hardware. We also carried out network testing and end-user testing.”

After the project, Dnyaneshwar’s interest in test automation increased, and he decided to learn more independently.

“I began to study test automation development. I had previously studied basic Python, so I began to expand my skills with advanced Python.”

A wide range of testing experience in various projects

Dnyaneshwar’s next project was for an Indian streaming service. He and his team carried out manual end testing and manual user testing for a newly launched app.

“In practice, we tested the entire application. During the testing phase on the new app, we found lots of bugs and stability issues, such as problems that also affected end users.”

Ultimately, the project went well, and the customer gave the team the opportunity to demonstrate their skills with a demo. Despite just starting out in their careers, the software testing trio developed their own scripts, frameworks, and architecture and succeeded in nabbing the project for themselves.

“We developed several scripts for platforms like Android, iOS, web platforms, and browsers.

We also had the opportunity to travel around India to carry out network testing of the API in question. All in all, it was a great experience,” says Dnyaneshwar.

After the project ended, Dnyaneshwar returned to mobile testing for a while. He was working with an Android-based high-configuration device that was tested manually and through automation.

“I got to do different testing from what I’d previously done. I learned about smoke testing, stress-level testing, and performance testing. In addition to testing, I also developed various test automation scripts.”

The project attracted many potential customers to the Mumbai office, which was an excellent opportunity for Dnyaneshwar to develop his presentation skills.

“I presented our team’s work, app framework, and the automated testing and software development services we could offer them. I made just over ten demos for different customers. They were great opportunities to develop my presentation skills.”

After testing Android-based high-configuration devices, his career led to a project that developed and tested warehouse management software.

“It was a web-based and data-based project. It used RFID to precisely know the locations of all goods and people moving around a port area. It was an interesting project, and different from my previous projects,” says Dnyaneshwar.

His next job was at a finance company, where Dnyaneshwar and his team developed testing architecture for the company’s point-of-sale devices.

“The software development team had coded the software for the POS devices, but there were no foundations for testing. So, we took references from another project and developed them ourselves.”

Managing a web testing team and working with robots

Before changing jobs to Softability, Dnyaneshwar worked on a large technology company project that involved API, web, and back-end testing.

“Overall, the project taught me a lot and was my first time working with web testing. We used technologies I hadn’t previously heard of”.

Dnyaneshwar’s last project for the company was challenging yet enjoyable. It involved payment terminals for a Finnish customer and lasted around eighteen months.

“I used Robot Framework and Python, which I’m familiar with, in the project. The libraries, frameworks, and architecture completely differed from what I had used previously. I was tasked with obtaining the app frameworks and scripts from another already developed project and getting the test automation ready.”

In this project, Dnyaneshwar also learned more about working with robots, as a robot simulated end users’ interactions with payment terminals. After the project, Dnyaneshwar was offered the opportunity to work in Finland and decided to take it.

Robots awaited him in Finland, too. He finally got to see how the robots’ mechanical movement happened. Previously, he had operated robots remotely from India using Jenkins.

“It was great to actually see the robots! I also broke quite a few robot components, plus a 3D printer. It was a good learning opportunity to fix them,” Dnyaneshwar laughs.

Working on a test automation team at an industrial equipment manufacturer

Dnyaneshwar is currently working in a small team on a Finnish international industrial equipment manufacturer project. The team consists of test automation developers and a manager. They also collaborate with software developers.

The software they are working on relates to logistics automation, where large devices move goods from one place to another.

“In this project, we’re using several technologies and a few other tools that I haven’t used yet, such as Docker and Containers.”

Logical deduction, problem-solving, and observation skills are strengths

At its core, a tester’s job is all about finding problems and faults. Testers are required to be skilled at logical deduction, problem-solving, and observation.

“Many people can write basic code, but not everyone has logical deduction skills. A tester’s work is all about finding and fixing problems. I would say that I’m good at thinking logically, and I naturally pay attention to detail.”

Dnyaneshwar needs challenges to keep his work interesting.

“Challenges and problem-solving inspire me to keep going. If there aren’t any challenges, work soon becomes boring.”

Teamwork skills are important when working on a project

Dnyaneshwar believes teamwork is one of the most important skills in project work. Effective communication is necessary for the project to succeed.

“If the communication isn’t there, it’s difficult to know what we’re doing. In the worst case, two testers will be working on the same task, which is a waste of time.”

In addition to good communication, you must be able to express your thoughts and questions in a way that is easy for others to understand. It’s also important to know your team members’ skills.

“If I don’t understand something or need help, I can ask the people responsible for or know more about the matter in question.”

Dnyaneshwar would like to thank the teams he has been able to work with. He has encountered skilled and helpful people who are happy to share their expertise.

“Working with more experienced people is a good opportunity to learn more. Having smart teammates around you is an invaluable advantage,” sums up Dnyaneshwar.