Automation is the Future

I recently decided on a whim to apply to the NYC Founder Institute program.  One of the application questions was “Why do you want to be an entrepreneur?”, and I thought I’d share my essay:

There are three basic reasons why I am motivated to make the transition from being a freelancing mercenary to that of a true entrepreneur.  I am passionate about solving a particular problem in my field, I am experienced and knowledgeable within my field and already comfortable with the risks of entrepreneurship, and I am temperamentally suited to entrepreneurial ventures.  Therefore, this is a natural next step for me to take if I want to successfully execute on my goals.

I see a major problem that needs to be solved within the quality assurance web testing world, and I am confident that I have a viable solution that results in a win-win situation for client and company alike.  I have been passionate about solving this particular issue for many years, and I have spent considerable amounts of time and effort refining and adapting my idea to changing technologies and new information.  My first experience as a business owner was freelancing under a fictitious business name (DBA), and I have been developing prototypes of technologies to solve this problem ever since.

I have a lot of experience with software test automation and with startup environments.  I have built a successful career as an automation engineer in New York City and am completely self taught.  Many of the companies I worked for or contracted with had no existing test automation, and I was able to successfully execute on creating such systems.  Much of my full time work experience has been with startups ranging from seed funding and onward, and I am again currently working as a contractor having created my own corporation.  As a result, the risks and challenges faced by entrepreneurs are not foreign concepts to me.  My first attempt at a solo career did not work out as expected, but I did not interpret that as a deterrent.  Not only did I learn from the experience, but it made me aware of and comfortable with the risks and rewards inherent to employing oneself without a traditional full time job.  My failed first attempt at freelancing launched my successful career here in New York, and now I've gone my own way a second time, this time with more success.

I am the daughter of a small business owner, and I was eight years old when I had my first entrepreneurial idea.  I ventured into my back yard and picked out smooth, attractive rocks on which I drew colorful doodles with markers and sold them as paper weights.  Other kids tried selling lemonade.  Great solutions to problems do not typically come from individuals who apply established methods to novel situations, and I am naturally inclined to think of creative solutions to problems.  Furthermore, I thrive in challenging environments where the expected result is to produce results.  Being action oriented, I am not predisposed to waiting for others to provide solutions or complete tasks, and I find that startups and small businesses often contain this kind of environment.  Truthfully, I have not been very fulfilled by traditional nine-to-five jobs, because I need the latitude to solve certain problems in unique ways.  Lastly, despite my independence, I am aware of my own shortcomings and greatly enjoy working with others to inspire them to share in my vision.  I know I cannot be an expert in all things and understand the wisdom of hiring people smarter than oneself.

I came across this gem while looking for projects.

This isn’t the first one (or the only one) I’ve seen.  How does this even work?  When you show up onsite, your interviewer is going to notice your voice or your incompetence at some point.

While looking for freelance QA work, I came across uTest.  uTest is a startup dedicated to crowdsourcing QA projects to freelancers from around the globe.  I’ve decided to sign up for it and see what it’s all about.  Below is my review of the sandbox testing experience.

So far, the tasks seem to be geared toward manual exploratory testers, but I’ve just signed up.  Perhaps they have some more sophisticated projects.  Too early to tell.  At the very least, it seems like a QA resource worth knowing about.

Once you create an account, they ask you to enter some information about which devices and operating systems you are able to test with.  They also ask you about areas of expertise you have with testing.  It only took a few moments to fill this out, but it’s required to complete your account.

About a day after I finished signing up for uTest, I got an email inviting me to their Sandbox testing session.  For new testers (and unrated ones), they recommend completing the exercise so that you get a rating.  Ratings help you get invited to test cycles, and you get paid for completing test cases and finding bugs.  More on that later.  Please note, the sandbox is *unpaid* work.

You’ll spend around an hour or two finishing the sandbox.  I took about two hours to finish it to make sure it was as accurate as possible.  They wanted a test case and two bugs, all completed in a specific format.  Be careful about formatting, because they dock points for failure to follow instructions (DNFI).

You’re in a test cycle with other testers, so this is not you working alone in isolation.  Keep this in mind, it will affect your strategy.

The first thing you should do if you’re serious about using this service is read all of the instructions carefully.  There are specific requirements you must meet for filing bugs, and they have to be formatted correctly.  Following instructions is an important part of your rating at the end, so do read!  I can’t state this enough.

The first thing I did was write out the test case.  They provide you with one to select based on your operating system and browser.  I’m on MacOS Sierra using Safari for the purpose of this exercise.  (An interesting thing I noted was that most of the other testers were on some kind of Windows machine.  It’s not clear yet if having unique devices is helpful or hurtful).

Writing the test case was fairly easy, but they do include details regarding what your screenshot files should be named and what formats are acceptable.  It’s also expected that you include some kind of visual annotation to the screenshots (boxes around fields, arrows, etc.) in order to get `full credit` on the test case.

Finding the bugs was the fun part, as usual!  I’d actually recommend working on the sandbox right away if invited, because one of the requirements is that you do not submit duplicate bugs.  You also get more points for higher quality bugs, so make sure you’re the first one to find them!  If you wait until the last minute, you’ll have to scramble to find bugs no one else has found yet, and your bugs are likely to be of lower quality, too.

I submit the required bug reports (they are specific about how many they want, too) along with some wonderfully annotated screen shots.  The instructions said to wait until the close of the test cycle to receive feedback.  Good enough for me.  The test cycle is four days, so testers have that much time to complete the assignment.

They have team leads that will eventually review the test cases and bugs filed, but I don’t know a whole lot more than that about the review process.  We’ll see.  

uTest encourages testers to spend around two hours on cycles, but they can do more if they want.  You’re paid per *valid* bug, I believe.  It seems like their strategy is to incentivize rapid testing by allotting more points and more money to better bugs.  No credits for dupes and more moolah for very high value bugs rewards the high quality testers that start right away.

The UI for the site seems to be in pretty good shape, functionally speaking.  Nothing feels particularly clunky to me, but I’ve only used the site for the sandbox and some account management.  Their site also has a bunch of articles to help you get started with testing.  So far, it’s not a bad experience.  I doubt I’d be able to make a real killing employing myself with only uTest projects, but it’s been worth my time to learn about it.

I consider freelancing different from entrepreneurship.  It’s more like mercenary work - you’re hired by someone to get a specific job done.  You’re not trying to finance your business with huge checks from investors.  Here’s a journal of what it’s like to work solo on your own business.

7:00 am Wake up and get ready.  I start my coffee and get ready for the day.  I’m working from home today, so this process is less involved this morning.  I also get to save about an hour in commute time, so I’ll be using it to take a proper lunch break.  (I have a bad habit of eating with one hand and coding with the other).

7:30 am I settle in, open my laptop, and get started.  The first thing I do is message my standup status to the engineering team.  I spend some time checking emails for tickets that are ready for me and checking the results of our smoke tests.

8:10 am All set to start writing tests!  I get my favorite text editor open, close distracting windows and sip my coffee while I finish up some of our automated api tests.

10:25 am The tests are written and provide the expected results.  I spend a few minutes reviewing my code and submitting a pull request before switching to a new task.

1:30 pm It’s around lunch time, and I need to run a few errands today.  Remember that running your business takes time, too.  I clock out, update my time-tracking system, and let my team know I’ll be away for a little while.

2:30 pm I’m back, and I’ve finished processing my payroll and managing my business accounting.  I also had time to run to the bank and heat up some leftovers before getting back to work.  I got a nice walk in, and I managed to play some Pokemon Go in the process.  Win-win.  Now that lunch is over, I’ll get back to my task and see what I can finish before today’s meeting.

3:00 pm The engineers working on one of our features all meet to discuss where we left off and what needs to be finished.  I join a Google Hangout along with another remote engineer to participate in the discussion.

3:45 pm Now that the meeting is over, I can get to work finishing writing tests for the feature.  I get back to it and see how far I can get.

6:00 pm I call it quits for today and update my timesheet.  I’ve managed to make enough progress and accomplish my goals, so it’s time for me to head to ballet class.  It’s important to me that I apply discipline to not only getting work done but knowing when to stop for the day and do something I enjoy.  There will always be more work to do. 

Feeling tired?  Having a hard time coming up with new ideas?  Generally frustrated for whatever reason?  Take time off.  Now.

Getting your mind off of work for a little while can help you refocus more efficiently when it’s time to buckle down again.  This seems like common sense, but sometimes we have a hard time convincing ourselves it’s okay to stop working for a bit.  If you’re in a creative field, you might even spark a new vision.  If you’re very stressed, and you burn out, you’ll probably end up in a worse situation than you’re already in.  Too frazzled means no real work gets done.

Here are a few ideas you can use based on how much time you (realistically) may have.  No excuses now!

If you only have a few minutes to a few hours:

Have a long lunch at a nearby restaurant or cafe.  This is a great time to try a new place.

Read a book for a few minutes 

Get a new shave/haircut/mani-pedi.  Works double by helping you stay sharp and presentable.

Meditate or hit the gym

If you work from home, take a shower

If you’re really the type-A worker (like me), run a couple of quick errands. Go sometime before or after lunch on a weekday when lines are likely to be shorter and roads less congested. 

If you have a few days and can travel:

Take a day trip to do something fun you’ve never made time for.  It can be anything from hiking to visiting a museum. 

Travel somewhere new for a few days.

Go visit an old friend.  Bonus points if you can work remotely and extend your stay for a few days afterward.  This way, you get the continued benefit of a change of scenery, but you can stay productive when you need to get back to work.

If you have a few days but can’t travel:

Work on a home improvement project you’ve put off

Spend some time gardening or working on another hobby

Volunteer at a local shelter or kitchen.  Helping others will help you feel more relaxed and connected.

Sign up for a workshop

Netflix binge

"There is no price too high to pay for the privilege of owning oneself” - Nietzche

Taking that first step and making the choice to go solo to start your business really is half the battle.  When you realize there are no guarantees in life, and you decide that it’s worth the risk and effort to strike out on your own.  It’s not for everyone, but if you’re thinking about it, give it a shot.  The experience alone is absolutely invaluable.

Here’s my story.

Many years ago, I found myself unemployed after my company had a round of layoffs.  Truth be told, I’m sure I got picked, because I spoke up too much.  I wanted to do my work and do it right right, but they really didn’t care.

The recession was still underway, and my corporate job opportunities were bleak.  I had student loans.  I rented a 50 square foot bedroom in a small apartment with three other people.  And I was running out of money.

The only way I was going to solve my problem was to solve it myself.  I literally couldn’t afford to wait for someone else to hire me and hand me a paycheck in exchange for my time, so I started freelancing.  That tiny room?  It had my makeshift desk in it.  I created a DBA (aka a fictitious name), and thus, Technolotrix was born.  My friends spent weekend nights hanging out and living it up.  I spent them writing software, creating marketing materials and a website.  It was a lot of work with little payoff.

Freelancing in an area without a lot of technology companies is really hard work.  Eventually, I stopped operating the business and moved to a more tech-savvy location.  I worked a few full time jobs, until that itch to be on my own again came back.  I thought about it, dreamt about it, and I couldn’t take it anymore.  I had to finish what I started.  I quit my cushy, full-time job to take a risk that I could do it all on my own.  And better.

Fast forward to today.  Technolotrix has been incorporated, and the business has revenue.  The entire experience of starting and running a business has shaped me as a person.  Even if you return to the workforce, the skills you build are transferrable to almost every job.  It took several years and a lot of sacrifice for me, but the rewards are worth it.  The best part?  I’m not done yet.

The reason I’m sharing this story is to illustrate two very fundamental points that will heavily influence whether you’ll make it or not.