Tester, By Choice ?

Two years and seven months. How time flies ! I had managed to get my first job at India’s biggest IT organization, but to be honest, at that time I was a little skeptical about my survival in this industry for long, especially after having had “not so good” engineering days academically, except for my final year. In spite of this, I decided to take up the gauntlet,all guns blazing, wanting to show it to the world – I am here to stay !. From the engineering days, programming was something I was always scared of, maybe it was the atmosphere which was created at college to segregate the “expert programmers” from the rest. I almost believed that programming isn’t my piece of cake, but I have shut the fear in a closet, thrown the keys never to find it again.

Training days were tough but an amazing learning experience. I was involved in developing a web application from the scratch using J2EE. This really helped me to improve on my technical skills to some extent. Desire to pursue my career as a Software Developer was very much on cards. But then came a twist in the tale, I was assigned to a project as a Software Tester. The project belonged to the Investment Banking Domain, where I was responsible to perform manual tests on a web application which was used by one of the world’s leading Clearing House. The application or the clearing system as it is called, is leveraged to perform clearing activities on Cash and Derivatives products trades on European markets.  I was afraid, started to research whether Testing would be the right stream for me, some surfing on the internet and I learnt that the stream too had a lot to offer on technical side. But I wasn’t convinced because my job had nothing to offer on the technical front, but domain wise I knew there was lot to learn. Nevertheless, I had already decided to give my  best in whatever I get to do and took up it up as a challenge, waiting for the day where I get to showcase my technical skills. It was a long wait ahead.

As time went by, I started to enjoy what I was doing. I was a self proclaimed “Passionate Software Tester” now. I remember the day when I tasted success in detecting my first ever defect, it was celebrated with some high fives and greetings from my team members, a small GUI bug though but no less to bring it to notice.  After all, the intention was to improve the quality of the end product keeping the needs of the customer on priority. Just to add, the team with which I worked with all these years has always been high on spirits, very supportive and fun to work with. Yet, somewhere down in my heart, I wanted to be on technical side of things, so as to keep my computers degree relevant. By the grace of Allah, I started working towards learning skills required for Automation Testing. I was absolutely delighted when I got to work on Automation, because it opened the doors for me to explore new areas in Testing and Automation seems to be really cool out of them all, it brings me back at war with programming. Mobility and Cloud are the other branches I am looking forward to work on in the future, and who knows if there is something even more interesting in store for me, I hope I grab it. Not long ago, I managed to achieve ISTQB Advanced Level – Technical Test Analyst and Foundation level certifications on Testing. Anticipating a great career ahead. Insha Allah !

I have attached a video here on “Becoming a Software Testing Expert” – By James Bach. I hope this motivates you. 😀

So am I a Tester By Choice ? Yes.

in Hyderabad v.01

Ahh .. back to blogging after a long time. Hello ! readers. Its been around 6 weeks since I have joined ILP Hyderabad and so far its been a thrilling experience. Everyday there is something new to learn. I have made new friends, met the old ones and have met some wonderful people to add to the existing list of wonderful people I have known so far, but whats more exciting is the positive change I am seeing in myself. I have become responsible and most importantly have learned to manage money which I never thought I would. Hmm .. life teaches  you everything .. Ahum  ! 😛

About Hyderabad , it is one of the largest cities in the country , known for its rich culture and heritage sites. Travelling is little difficult and costly too. I am lucky to have a friend by the name Moeed here, so the places have been easily accessible for me. So far I have been to Charminar, Golconda fort, Hussainsagar, Lumbini park, NTR , Airport, Nehru zoo x 2, Gandipet, Snow world, Banjara Hills, and Osmania too to eat Subway ! lol !. There are many more places yet to explore which I hope to do in coming days. As far as the food is concerned, Hyderabadi biryani is world famous but not according me. I have eaten at six recommended places so far and till now  I can proudly say that none of them were better than the one cooked by mom. Ok ! sorry for getting off track. Yeah, I would like to recommend a restaurant called “Nizams” at Lingampally. Visit and order Arabian chicken there. It is flawless. The place is also known for its famous haleem and paya. There are eateries at Tolichowki like “Siddique kabbab center” and “Adams’ Victoria’ which again are well known for their Arabic and Hyderabadi cuisines.  Check out for some more recommendations in the next post which I will be posting soon, probably after my visit to the old city next weekend.

Well , that’s it for time being. In my v.02 post I will be sharing details on ILP experience and recommendations on food and places to visit in the city. Signing off from Hyderabad . Take care and Enjoy !!! 🙂

Anna’s Lokpal Bill – a solution to counter corruption

Here are the flash points in the Government of India(GOI) vs Team Anna battle over the Lokpal Bill.

The Lokpal

Shall consist of a chairperson and eight members, along with subordinate officials. The lokpal will have five-year tenure and can be removed only the President, on a Supreme Court reference.

The members

GOI : Five members will be government nominees

Team Anna: Lokpal should have Nobel laureates of Indian origin , the last three Magsaysay award  winners and top judges, including two retired chief justices of the Supreme Court.

Jursidiction

GOI: The Lokpal can unconditionally probe corruption charges against Union ministers and officers of Group A and above.

Team Anna: All public officials should come under the Lokpal’s ambit as per the UN convention Against Corruption, which requires all countries to establish such independent anti-corruption agencies.

Members of Parliament

GOI: Exempts MPs for their acts inside Parliament.

Team Anna: No such provision

Investigation authority

GOI: CBI would probe corruption charges against lower-level officials, and Lokpal the higher officials. The Lokpal cannot prosecute but only refer the case to the Supreme Court.

Team Anna: Opposes division of authority, and wants the CBI’s anti-corruption wing to come under the Lokpal.

The Prime Minister and judiciary

GOI: Exempts Prime Ministers and judges, but provides for inquiry into graft charges after they vacate office.

Team Anna: Wants the PM and the judiciary in the Lokpal’s ambit.

Whistle-blowers’ protection

GOI: Leaves the matter to separate legislation on judicial standards and accountability, protection of whistle-blowers and grievance redress mechanism

Team Anna: Wants the bill to ensure the whistle-blowers’ professional and physical safety.

Limitation period

GOI: Provides for a seven year limitation period from the date of knowing the offense. In the case of PMs, the period will apply after they demit office.

Team Anna: Opposes the government’s position.

Lokayukta

GOI: Only a central Lokpal would be created through the current bill.

Team Anna: The bill should provide for Lokayuktas in states and district levels, too.

Punishment

GOI: Maximum punishment fixed at 10 years imprisonment.

Team Anna: Wants harsher punishment- based on rank of accused officials.

Financial independence

GOI: Finance ministry will decide quantum of budget.

Team Anna: Lokpal members will collectively decide the budget.

[ref : The Week, Aug 14 2011]

Makkah Royal Clock Tower completed … ticks off today !

Ramadan Kareem !!

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Mashallah ! The most awaited Makkah Royal Clock Tower will start ticking officially from today evening. The clock mounted on the tower is supposed to be the largest in the world. I have attached a documentary courtesy  you tube, which should help in understanding the importance and features of this engineering marvel. You can also visit the Wikipedia link  for more information. The last time I visited Makkah alhamdulillah was in January 2009 when the tower was under construction, about 75% complete. That moment of time it was really hard to imagine that after completion it would be of so much importance and look amazingly beautiful as it stands today. Honestly, I was not with the opinion (to myself) of constructing such a super structure right next to the Haram because I felt it would be a blockade in the expansion work and also would shorten the openness of the place (proved wrong once again). Now that the construction has completed and expansion is still on as usual, the place looks beautiful than ever. Hats off to the Saudis for this marvelous addition to the club of well renowned Islamic structures in the world. All these years they have been doing an excellent job not only in the maintenance of the two holy masjids but also in taking care of the millions of pilgrims who pay visit to these places every year.  Miss all the amazing days spent in Makkah and Madinah. Inshallah will visit soon.


We Are The Champions !!!

CHEERS !!! ..the cup is finally ours !!!…. BLEED BLUE !

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I was 7 yrs old then when India along with its neighbours Pakistan and Srilanka hosted the 1996 world cup. I can still recollect the Eden Gardens incident were fans were upset over India’s performance against Sri Lanka that evening and became uncontrollable. The proceedings were stopped half way and Sri Lanka were declared winners which meant India were denied a place in the world cup final. Ranatunga’s men went on to lift the trophy that year by beating the much highly rated Aussies. India’s poor run in the world cup continued in 1999 aswell .There were some unforgettable moments in the tournament especially Sachin’s knock against Kenya  and also Saurav’s 183 against Srilanka. 2003 world cup changed it all for India. Men in blue under the captaincy of Sourav Ganguly went on to reach the finals but were denied the cup by the mighty Aussies . Australia under the likes of Gilchrist, Hayden , Mc Grath , Warne and Ponting were a very difficult team to beat those days. And India did well to pose a threat to the Aussie reign but not good enough. Unlike the previous Indian teams , they played like one unit. India also started do play tests well by winning overseas. In spite of all the success India couldn’t carry on their form and showcased a very sorry performance in the 2007 world cup in West Indies followed by a large outcry by indian fans throughout the country. But all this was overshadowed when India under the superman , Mahendra Singh Dhoni, unexpectedly went on become the T20 champions that year winning its first world title since 1983. This victory brought the confidence back and the team went to win the major tournaments like the Asia Cup and Tri Series in Australia. India is ranked as the No.1 test team in the world now. Every Indian was just hoping for the 50 overs World Cup after 28 years  to cement India’s position as cricket superpower and also end Australia’s reign at top for 11 years. The stage was all set this summer 2011  with India being one of the hosts in the tournament. The start was a bit nervy but we went to do well when it really mattered ..the knockout stages. According to me, the victory against Australia was the most valuable one and of course the final against Sri Lanka without which the former would have been meaningless !!! The entire country was thrilled and people on streets waving the tricolor altogether irrespective of caste, creed, color or religion on the victory night was a delight to watch. Victory had brought smiles to the billion faces all over the country. The celebrations are still on and will continue for the years to come. Thankyou team INDIA …!!!! MEN BLUE ROCKS… !!!! …JAI HIND !!!!

phew .. ! placed in TCS

Yuppie ..10/01/10 was one of the best days of my life . Yes I am placed into Tata  Consultancy Services(TCS),  the largest provider of information technology and business process outsourcing services in Asia. Very happy as my hard work finally paid off in the end. Inshallah if everything goes well, I expect to get lots of opportunities to professionally grow and learn from some of the best people in the IT industry. Hope this is just the beginning and I still have a very long way to go. Excited for my first job. Keeping my fingers crossed !!!!!!!! Enjoy the video !!

 

 

 

A Sweet Failure…

Being a Computer Science student, it’s important to be proficient in programming. But this wasn’t the case with me. My programming skills were very poor and failure in getting programs executed during lab exams was a real concern. It brought my moral down which affected my scores as well. The main reason why I was not doing well was the very fact that I used to mug the programs which was pathetic. I really had no hopes of surviving through these methods very long and ultimately fell prey to the Computer Networks lab in the sixth semester. My credibility to become a Computer Science engineer was questioned and I was really feeling the heat. Luckily, though I didn’t flunk in the subject because my internals were high, I was asked to give a makeup exam which was nothing but giving the exam once again without any reflection of my failure in the marks sheet. I had to pull my socks up now and work hard on my technical skills from the scratch. Also thanks to some inspirational words from Chiplunkar sir and RK sir which helped me build my confidence.This was truly the turning point in my engineering Life. By the grace of Allah, I scored well in my makeup exam and by the end of all this my programming skills also improved. I have just finished my seventh semester exams yesterday. Now I can confidently say that I am a  good programmer but there is still a long way to go. Sometimes failure teaches you a lot more than what success does. This was one of greatest things ever happened to me and I will keep the memories of this experience forever. My friends asked me to script this down and WHY  not ?

” DONT BE AFRAID TO FAIL

BE AFRAID NOT TO TRY “

How confident people think …?

The following points will help you understand how confident people think:

•They think about courage not fear: Most people who want to build self confidence do the mistake of focusing on the traits they want to avoid instead of focusing on the traits they want to acquire. When the subconscious mind finds that someone is thinking of something all the time it starts to help him reach it even if it was something negative!! By focusing on the negative things those people find themselves moving towards the behavior they want to avoid

•They follow a Role model: Humans learn best by example, the more you accompany confident people and the more you watch them the more likely you are going to be like them. If your parents didn’t manage to make you become a confident person then don’t worry you can still find a confident role model and stick to him.

•Fix flaws but don’t forget to develop skills : Of course you must seek information that can help you conquer your fears and improve your communication skills but on the other hand you must never forget to read about becoming a leader, an alpha male/female and about acting confident. The more you read about these positive traits the more they will become a normal part of your belief system and the closer you will get to them

•They keep reminding themselves of their points of strength: This gives them a continues self confidence boost that helps them stay confident all the time.

•They don’t give any weight to the opinion of others: Confident people don’t beg others for approval, they don’t care much about the opinion of others and they don’t feel bad at all if they were rejected. Simply their sense of self worth comes from within and that’s why they don’t need any external approval.

•They attribute rejection to other factors: A confident person never thinks that something is wrong with him when someone rejects him but instead he tries to find any other logical explanation such as “He was too busy thinking to notice me”