Thread by @aclairefication

So excited for How to Become an Automation Engineer with @techgirl1908 at @testingatl #automation #testing

Nice gathering this evening with @techgirl1908 at @testingatl #automation #testing

Thanks for the grub @saucelabs at @testingatl #automation #testing

@saucelabs @testingatl For those who don't know me, I'm an automation architect and developer advocate traveling the world helping automators
Also Director of @TestAutomationU
- @techgirl1908 #testing #automation @testingatl

@saucelabs @testingatl @TestAutomationU @techgirl1908 What is an automation engineer? Someone with a developer skillset and a tester mindset @techgirl1908 #testing #automation @testingatl

@saucelabs @testingatl @TestAutomationU @techgirl1908 Automation engineers are usually writing regression tests to offload some of the redundant burden from testers @techgirl1908 #testing #automation @testingatl

@saucelabs @testingatl @TestAutomationU @techgirl1908 Automation is not a replacement of testers - you still need testers! It's an addition that helps out. @techgirl1908 #testing #automation @testingatl

@saucelabs @testingatl @TestAutomationU @techgirl1908 Becoming an automation engineer? 3 steps!
1. Learn to code
@techgirl1908 #testing #automation @testingatl

@saucelabs @testingatl @TestAutomationU @techgirl1908 How to learn to code? Different ways... do it yourself (courses like @TestAutomationU, books, etc) ... @techgirl1908 #testing #automation @testingatl

@saucelabs @testingatl @TestAutomationU @techgirl1908 The courses in @TestAutomationU are both automation and programming courses because development is the core skillset @techgirl1908 #testing #automation @testingatl

Do-it-yourself learning programming? Requires great level of discipline! @techgirl1908 @testingatl #automation #testing

@techgirl1908 @testingatl Do-it-yourself learning programming?
Pros: own pace, focus on what you need @techgirl1908 #testing #automation @testingatl

@techgirl1908 @testingatl Do-it-yourself learning programming?
Cons: requires discipline, find free time, not sure what to focus on... @techgirl1908 #testing #automation @testingatl

When you don't know what you don't know, it's hard to gauge what you need. @techgirl1908 @testingatl #automation #testing

@techgirl1908 @testingatl The coding you need to learn needs to be broad enough. Learn enough of the language to use the automation library? Then your code might not be very good... @techgirl1908 #testing #automation @testingatl

@techgirl1908 @testingatl How to pick a course? One way to determine whether a course is relevant is looking at the syllabus or outline to see what content I'm going to learn #testing #automation @testingatl

@techgirl1908 @testingatl Not knowing what to do next... @TestAutomationU has learning paths for different topics (web, mobile, etc) in different languages @techgirl1908 #testing #automation @testingatl

@techgirl1908 @testingatl @TestAutomationU Learning programming? Get formal training
For my learning style, I prefer classroom training for things that are brand new to me. sometimes I will enroll in a physical course, e.g. at a college continuing ed (not pursuing a degree) @techgirl1908 #testing #automation @testingatl

@techgirl1908 @testingatl @TestAutomationU Formal training for test automation?
Pros: may be covered by your employer benefits
Cons: convince management (may not be asking you to do automation), course may cover more than you need @techgirl1908 #testing #automation @testingatl

@techgirl1908 @testingatl @TestAutomationU Wait... what language should I learn for test automation?
I did some research looking at job recs to see what people are asking for, what's in demand @techgirl1908 #testing #automation @testingatl

@techgirl1908 @testingatl @TestAutomationU Language for test automation? Java, Python, JavaScript, C#, Ruby - though JavaScript is rising every month! @techgirl1908 #testing #automation @testingatl

@techgirl1908 @testingatl @TestAutomationU Pick the language that my devs are using? Keep in mind the marketability of that language! @techgirl1908 #testing #automation @testingatl

@techgirl1908 @testingatl @TestAutomationU Language for test automation? Once you learn programming, it's not as difficult to switch languages. @techgirl1908 #testing #automation @testingatl

@techgirl1908 @testingatl @TestAutomationU Other languages to learn to help test automation? HTML/DOM, CSS/Xpath, SQL (front-end technologies, back-end technologies)
Could take an intro to web development course @techgirl1908 #testing #automation @testingatl

@techgirl1908 @testingatl @TestAutomationU In automation, it helps me so much to understand how websites are built and how to find the information that I need (e.g. web element locator strategies) @techgirl1908 #testing #automation @testingatl

@techgirl1908 @testingatl @TestAutomationU Becoming an automation engineer? 3 steps!
1. Learn to code
2. Learn about automation
3.
@techgirl1908 #testing #automation @testingatl
// profit?? ;)

@techgirl1908 @testingatl @TestAutomationU Which layer of the application are you automating? UI/web, mobile, web services, unit
You might not have to do unit tests in your day-to-day but it's important to understand (e.g. coaching your devs).
@techgirl1908 #testing #automation @testingatl

@techgirl1908 @testingatl @TestAutomationU Some jobs are specifically about testing web services. Even if not, it's important to understand web services & how to use them (e.g. speed up your tests by setting up data) @techgirl1908 #testing #automation @testingatl

@techgirl1908 @testingatl @TestAutomationU Complementary practices to test automation?
Behavior-Driven Development (BDD) & Test-Driven Development (TDD) as part of a whole team approach @techgirl1908 #testing #automation @testingatl

@techgirl1908 @testingatl @TestAutomationU Test-Driven Development (TDD) in automation?
In my test automation, I write the test first and then the test automation framework to make that test work @techgirl1908 #testing #automation @testingatl

@techgirl1908 @testingatl @TestAutomationU What tool do I need for test automation? These are the most popular: SeleniumWebDriver (UI), Appium (Mobile), Rest-Assured/Postman (Web Services), Cucumber (BDD), Junit/TestNG/Mocha/Pytest (Assertions), Applitools (Visual Assertions) @techgirl1908 #testing #automation @testingatl

@techgirl1908 @testingatl @TestAutomationU What tool do I need for test automation? Couple the automation tool (user interaction) with assertion tool (true/false or pass/fail) @techgirl1908 #testing #automation @testingatl

@techgirl1908 @testingatl @TestAutomationU You are not restricted to the language the developers are using for the app!
Developers helping you with automation is more part of the culture @techgirl1908 #testing #automation @testingatl

@techgirl1908 @testingatl @TestAutomationU If you're doing agile and you talk about swarming, then you might want to use the same language for automation #agile #testing #automation @testingatl

@techgirl1908 @testingatl @TestAutomationU OH: Several San Fran startups I've worked for want you to be as native as possible on platforms since they're moving fast #testing #automation @testingatl

@techgirl1908 @testingatl @TestAutomationU Developers could do code review if [test automation]'s in a language they understand @techgirl1908 #testing #automation @testingatl

@techgirl1908 @testingatl @TestAutomationU Q: what's the difference between visual assertions vs other test automation? Think of visual assertions as more in line with JUnit/TestNG assertions (about the DOM under the screen) but visual looks at it as the user would! @techgirl1908 #testing #automation @testingatl

@techgirl1908 @testingatl @TestAutomationU Visual assertions - avoid pixel comparison! @techgirl1908 #testing #automation @testingatl

@techgirl1908 @testingatl @TestAutomationU Q: transition to automation including learning CICD? e.g. Jenkins build also runs your automation test suite

CICD can determine how you write your automation
see this article: dzone.com/articles/testi…
@techgirl1908 #testing #automation @testingatl #CICD

@techgirl1908 @testingatl @TestAutomationU CICD context for automation:
fast
reliable
maintainable
quantity

Automation: This is code you're writing - it has to be maintained! @techgirl1908 #testing #automation @testingatl #CICD

@techgirl1908 @testingatl @TestAutomationU Other things you need to learn for test automation? Execution enablement! e.g.
Continuous integration
Parallelism - test data is very important!
Grids/Containers
@techgirl1908 #testing #automation @testingatl #CICD

Lots of great conversation and questions at @testingatl tonight! <3 #automation #testing

@testingatl Other things you need to learn for test automation? Strategy! What's your game plan??
You need to understand the purpose of this so you can make informed decisions
Recommended: testautomationu.applitools.com/setting-a-foun…
@techgirl1908 #testing #automation @testingatl

@testingatl @techgirl1908 Setting A Foundation For Successful Test Automation @TestAutomationU course student testimonial: It makes you realize that it can be a hurdle to get your company to do automation! #testing #automation @testingatl

@testingatl @techgirl1908 @TestAutomationU Becoming an automation engineer? 3 steps!
1. Learn to code
2. Learn about automation
3. Continue to learn
@ministryoftest has a blog feed ministryoftesting.com/feeds/blogs
@techgirl1908 #testing #automation @testingatl

@testingatl @techgirl1908 @TestAutomationU @ministryoftest Becoming an automation engineer? 3 steps!
1. Learn to code
2. Learn about automation
3. Continue to learn
books, webinars, podcasts, conferences, follow gurus - work with other automation engineers! @techgirl1908 #testing #automation @testingatl

@testingatl @techgirl1908 @TestAutomationU @ministryoftest There's an IDE specifically for (JavaScript) automation engineers: Oxygen is free & open source - I did a talk about it for Test Automation Guild this year guildconferences.com/conferences/au… @techgirl1908 #testing #automation @testingatl

@testingatl @techgirl1908 @TestAutomationU @ministryoftest When I worked on a team with about 5 other automation engineers is when I really leveled up - teaching each other, reviewing code, etc @techgirl1908 #testing #automation @testingatl

@testingatl @techgirl1908 @TestAutomationU @ministryoftest Work with others on automation, like @LisiHocke 's testing tours lisihocke.com/p/testing-tour…
@techgirl1908 #testing #automation @testingatl

Test automation leaders to follow from @techgirl1908 @testingatl #automation #testing

Lots of love for test automation leaders - some have courses in the @ministryoftest dojo! @testingatl #automation #testing

@ministryoftest @testingatl Leaders in test automation? @lisascripin heads up the #testing & #devops community
testingindevops.org
@techgirl1908 #testing #automation @testingatl

@ministryoftest @testingatl @techgirl1908 For the story of a tester who made the transition from manual testing to a test automation, follow @tjmaher1 @techgirl1908 #testing #automation @testingatl
// (miss you buddy & @mot_boston !)

@ministryoftest @testingatl @techgirl1908 @tjmaher1 @Mot_Boston Slides from this presentation: slides.com/angiejones/bec…
@techgirl1908 #testing #automation @testingatl

@ministryoftest @testingatl @techgirl1908 @tjmaher1 @Mot_Boston Q: do you recommend taking 1 course or multiple at a time?
For me, 1 at a time - and I recommend you build something with what you learned! @techgirl1908 #testing #automation @testingatl

@ministryoftest @testingatl @techgirl1908 @tjmaher1 @Mot_Boston For sites to practice, @eviltester has a list of sample websites to practice automation eviltester.com @techgirl1908 #testing #automation @testingatl

@ministryoftest @testingatl @techgirl1908 @tjmaher1 @Mot_Boston @eviltester Showing your skills with a public test automation Github repo @techgirl1908 #testing #automation @testingatl

@ministryoftest @testingatl @techgirl1908 @tjmaher1 @Mot_Boston @eviltester OH: Going to multiple workshops, listening to multiple gurus you start hearing and seeing the same things @techgirl1908 #testing #automation @testingatl

@ministryoftest @testingatl @techgirl1908 @tjmaher1 @Mot_Boston @eviltester Q: Slack channel for finding people who are helpful? @ministryoftest is a great one - a channel specific to automation ministryoftesting.com/slack_invite
testersio.slack.com is more technical
Tech404 has a testing channel tech404.github.io
#testing #automation @testingatl

@ministryoftest @testingatl @techgirl1908 @tjmaher1 @Mot_Boston @eviltester The last thing you want is test automation that fails all the time - noisy, losing respect #testing #automation @testingatl

@ministryoftest @testingatl @techgirl1908 @tjmaher1 @Mot_Boston @eviltester One thing you presentation shares is a sense of urgency to become an automation engineer
Manual testing is not dead - it's never going to be dead!
#testing #automation @testingatl

Thank you @techgirl1908 ! @testingatl #automation #testing