Sunday, January 13, 2013

2012 Journey and Highlights

Yep, it's been way too long since I've written a new post.  I guess that can happen when you get a new job!  It was quite a year.  I did a lot and learned a lot. 

My year started with being laid off.  I'm not one to look at lay offs as a negative thing.  If one is prepared, they can also be a great opportunity.  I decided to take a bunch of time off (having to have two shoulder surgeries back to back certainly helped in that decision!).  But it also gave me time to think, reflect, and learn.  And boy, did I learn a lot and have some great adventures!

Here are some of the highlights:
  • The biggest decision I made had to do with what I called "Teri school" by diving into a journey of self-learning.  James Bach's book "Secrets of a Buccaneer-Scholar" was a great motivator.  It's a great read.
  • Worked with a great Testing coach, Anne-Marie Charrett, who challenged me and helped me to push myself.
  • Took a month long online testing course with Ajay Balamurugadas.  Ajay has become a great teacher and leader in the Testing world and I continually learn new things from him.
  • Started my Twitter account to grow in my relationships and learn from Testers throughout the world.
  • Worked with a mentor to learn HTML and CSS to increase my knowledge in web testing.
  • Refreshed my SQL skills
  • Read numerous books, white papers, testing magazines/newsletters, and blogs on testing.
  • Completed the 5 day Rapid Testing Intensive class from James and Jon Bach in July 2012.
  • Participated in Weekend Testing events.
  • Created this blog on Testing.
  • Joined several Testing organizations.
  • Took free online classes from Coursera and Udacity.
  • Successfully completed the BBST Foundation course (Association for Software Testing)!  Not for the faint of heart!
And then I started a new job about 4 months ago at a company called VisionLink.  What attracted me to VisionLink was their mission for making affordable software for non-profit organizations.  That really spoke to my heart.

So, now it's a new year.  I'm not one for making New Year resolutions because I believe in constantly learning, growing, and experiencing things every chance I get.  And I can't wait to see what 2013 brings!