The Reality of Being a QA: Bugs, Balance, and Continuous Learning

This story may be boring for some, but for others, it sounds like a daily routine, a usual Wednesday or working day in the IT universe.

Before I describe the processes in the life of a being QA engineer, I want to note that a year ago, I couldn’t have imagined that my life would change and I would become part of such a massive and wonderful company. To my mind it’s important for everyone to develop different skills that’s why we are always learning something new, everywhere and all the time. I still remember my first workday — the nerves, the thoughts, and the feeling of being in a completely new environment. I hoped to have good colleagues, a great project, and most importantly for me — valuable experience.

Luckily, after just a week, my anxiety started to fade away. Now, I look back on that day as a warm and positive memory. As time passed, more and more new words and terms started to appear in my daily vocabulary, and I try to  understand and explore them more deeply.

These days, my routine is no less colorful or interesting.

Every morning, on my way to the office, I think about how I can manage to do everything — and maybe even a bit more. Of course, perfection doesn’t exist, but sometimes I walk so fast that I look like someone on a morning run. One of my personal habits is arriving at the office before the official workday starts. This allows me to tune in, drink coffee, discuss the morning news, weather, and anything with my colleagues.

After that, it’s easier to dive into the new day with good mood and motivation.

For me, coffee is fuel, bugs are checkpoints on the route, and the release is the destination.

Undoubtedly, my morning routine includes checking emails  and thanking people who develop information technology and not only informational. An email is way better than standing in a long line at the local post office. And then, as usual: testing, checking fixes, re-testing to calm down and make sure everything really works. Sometimes, it’s hard to believe — the bug is back again. You start looking for ways to reproduce it, create a lot of scenarios for its appearance — all this can be called “QA team vs. bug.”

There are people who think that working in IT is easy, that testers just click buttons, flip through pages, and rest all day. Perhaps there are such testers somewhere, but I have never heard about them. What about you? By the way, in my opinion is very difficult —  being a QA is easier than truly thinking like an end user. Because understanding the logic, behavior, and expectations of the end user is not a simple task.

When you finally manage to figure out a bug (and drink at least 2 more cups of coffee), you can afford a short break. Take a break not only from tasks, but also from emotions and thoughts — and stop being an end user for at least a minute.

At such moments, the best ideas often come to us — how to solve a problem, which side is better to approach.

And then you don’t need coffee anymore — you start working in full swing. So an hour passes, another hour passes, and suddenly half the working day is gone. You feel relaxed and happy when you have a whole “Everest” of bugs behind you that have been successfully found and marked as “closed” when this issue isn’t reproduced anymore. But there is another “Everest” ahead — the mountain of test documentation: writing new bug reports, test-cases creating test plans for the future, attending calls, and explaining over and over why this problem is real bug and must be fixed.

When the workday comes to the end, I find myself reflecting: Did I manage to do everything? Could I have done more? Did I do everything right? But I always remind myself — no matter how challenging or chaotic the day was, I truly love my job.

Being a QA is not just about finding bugs. It’s about quality, about ensuring success, and about confirming that the product truly deserves trust. It’s about the responsibility to make the project flawless.

In conclusion, always make time for rest and the things that bring positive and motivation in your day and routine. Improving your space around you because even the smallest details can make a huge difference in your life.

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