Hello, Malav and thank you for joining us today! Tell us a little bit about yourself and the start of your QA path.
Before I started QA, I worked at Amazon. I basically did regular warehouse work for them. After the Careerist training, I got a better job and a bigger salary, and my work now is much easier compared to what I was doing.
What is the work that you're doing now? Are you doing manual testing of websites, mobile applications, or both?
I'm doing website and mobile.
Do you have a technical background or any knowledge of coding or programming? And how long was your job search?
So I was still working at my previous job at Amazon while applying for jobs. It took me about 6–7 months to get my first position in QA. I had other offers, but one of them did not fit because of the location. I’m glad that I had the opportunity to take my time and be picky.
I’m happy to hear that, because many people share their stories of searching for the right job for two to four months. Sharing that yours took six to seven showcases the normal diversity in how long it might take someone to find the right fit. So were you actively searching that whole time?
I kind of lost track along the way a little bit. So I'm sure that if you keep doing it constantly with full participation, you’ll have better chances of getting a job.
I messed up one of the questions in my final interview, but I still got the position. I realized that you don't need that much experience in QA as long as you know the basic stuff like writing test cases and doing manual tests. You don't need much else.
How long have you been doing this job now?
I have been working there for about two years.
Good for you. Now, I think that people probably want to hear about the money—what’s your salary?
So I started at $65k.
That’s okay for your first job. Has it increased since then?
After my first review, I got bumped up to $70k. After my second review, I negotiated up to $75, so that’s where I’m at right now.
Where is the company based?
It's in Orlando, Florida.
Are you also in Florida?
Yes, I'm in Florida.
That's great; we’re very happy for you. With your positive attitude, experience, and knowledge, I’m sure you’ll be able to get to $100k before long. Regarding the interview questions: Were they the same ones you'd practiced for, or was there something that surprised you?
Once you start doing interviews, you realize that it’s not that complicated. After you do two or three, you understand—’Oh, it's just this simple question again,’ and you can answer confidently. They asked me about myself, my experience, and the kinds of testing and tools I knew about.
What about API and SQL?
I haven't touched SQL.
It’s true that you can get a job without knowledge of API and SQL. What is your title at work?
I'm a QA engineer.
Congratulations again, Malav. Thank you very much for joining us today. Do you have a final message for your fellow graduates?
My final message is to not let a lack of experience hold you back—you can still get a great job. For example, we just hired an Automation QA Engineer at my company who has zero automation experience. So even if the job qualifications seem difficult or out of reach, apply and see what happens.
We’re always pleased when our graduates reach new heights in their careers and share these success stories with us. They make us better and motivate our current students to keep learning and growing.