From student job to IT software testing: how Danka became a tester

Author: Zuzana Kocáková

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At msg life Slovakia we are keen on a personal approach to every employee. Not only to make them feel comfortable with us, but above all to give them the opportunity to develop and succeed. Over more than twenty years, we have found that if we give our colleagues the opportunity to try different things and also the space to progress, they not only enjoy their work, but they are really good at it. A great example is my colleague Danka, who had never done software testing before and despite that she got the opportunity to participate in an international project. A student part-time job turned into a career opportunity.

“My first work experience with msg life Slovakia was in the summer of 2009, when I took part in the company’s Sommerfest as an animator for children,“ Danka recalls her beginnings in the company. Although she studied international management and her student part-time jobs were more in the field of gastronomy, accounting or teaching, she decided to look into the world of IT. She joined the Bratislava office in December 2009 as an assistant in the Facility Management team, where she focused mainly on HR, administration, accounting, business travel, intranet management, preparation of corporate events and Office Management. Instead of thinking about how to find a part-time job, she took the opportunity that presented itself.

Fascinated by the IT field

Danka gradually became so interested in working in IT that she decided to focus on Management in Information Systems at the Master’s degree level. “I was gradually finding out from colleagues who does what and IT software testing seemed rightly linked to what I was interested in and what I could meet the criteria for. I followed a similar path in my choice of subjects at school. I was aware that I was interested in software development itself and how it works,” adds Danka. She was also able to get to know the IT world better thanks to her flexible working hours, as she needed time to study full-time at university. However, a part-time job in IT soon opened up other career opportunities for her.

It didn’t take long for the ambitious student to get the opportunity to participate in a foreign project. “In the last semester of my studies I got my first tester job opportunity. It was an American project and I really enjoyed the work, especially because of the use of English – I rarely used languages in Facility Management.” Danka describes her first experience with testing. After her studies, our company msg life approached Danka with a job offer and she afterwards started training for the position of regression tester, where she stayed for about three years. She has completed various basic training courses and Danka is still training in software testing today.

Space for continuous learning

“IT software tester jobs are so broad that it’s ideal to continually educate yourself on many aspects. Testing, application development, orientation in the insurance industry or specific client requirements, but also working with people, it is all related and the more one learns, the better one sees the connections,” says IT tester Danka. According to her words, there is still room for education and improvement in this sphere. Whether it is languages, computer skills, working with people, time management, eliminating and managing stressful situations or realizing that every problem is solvable. “You take the theory from professional courses, sometimes you remember it in practice, you can apply something, but only thanks to gradual experience and colleagues you get one step further,” she adds. It was her colleagues who were one of the main reasons why Danka decided to work at msg life Slovakia.

“I have always had very smart, friendly and knowledgeable colleagues at msg life. We have grown from two to six very diverse and interesting people in a close working team. Apart from my husband, I also met long-time friends here. I remember that from the beginning everyone in the company seemed very nice and friendly, there was a family atmosphere,” says Danka. Very quickly she even got along with her team from abroad: “I enjoyed meeting my colleagues in person, with whom I spent hours on the phone on a daily basis. I remember my great surprise when I absolutely could not match these people to the photographs I knew them from or to the image I had formed of them. But at the same time, they were familiar to me by voice.”

At work as at home

What Danka likes most about IT software testing is the feeling of a job well done. In addition, she likes to train her colleagues because she finds it fulfilling when she sees that they understand the assignment and enjoy the work as much as she does. At msg life Slovakia, she is satisfied thanks to the company’s approach to employees.

“Thanks to msg, I believe in employers who care about employee satisfaction in all aspects. My colleagues at msg care about the most pleasant working and friendly environment and benefits. And I am not talking about the management’s personal or even family approach to employees’ requests or problems. I felt comfortable from the beginning and over time I felt like at home. I am proud to work for a company that takes great care of its employees. At first, I was very pleasantly surprised that I was always asked if I was interested in a particular task,” says Danka.

Benefits of working at msg life Slovakia

Danka is currently on maternity leave and therefore looks at her work in an IT company from a different angle. “As a mother of three children, I am now aware of the benefits of flexible working hours, part-time work or even a family atmosphere in a company that doesn’t discourage the occasional visit from children in its premises. In addition, msg gives me a sense of job stability, which as a mother I also value highly. Returning to the company after maternity leave is now a big challenge for me, but I am also looking forward to new challenges. The work here has always been diverse and I have enjoyed it very much,” adds Danka.

If you are interested in the story of our Java tester, feel free to check out our job offers. Maybe a job among them will appeal to you, which will make you reconsider your current job or change your profession, as Danka did. Do not hesitate to compare the requirements of the tester vs developer offer and if you are interested, apply directly for the position of programmer. IT jobs are always very well paid and it’s easy to find a vacancy. Many of the positions are currently in partial Home Office or Full Remote mode.

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From student job to IT software testing: how Danka became a tester

Zuzana Kocáková

At msg life Slovakia I take care of the company culture, events and I am part of the marketing team. I like a job where I can be creative and contribute to making my colleagues at msg feel good. I regularly prepare for you not only news and interesting things from the world of information technology and insurance, but also from behind the scenes events at msg life Slovakia.