Looking for an Automation Mentor

🙋 Questions
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Hello,

I joined this forum in the hopes of finding a mentor for web based automation using Selenium and Java. I’m a QA engineer, and have recently moved into Automation but I just find myself struggling with the teaching style within my company. I love my boss and coworkers though so I don’t want to leave just to learn, and I have not had good success with online courses.

Little about me, since QAs prefer bullet points to the flowery type of Product lol:

  • I actually went to school for 3D design and Animation, but switched out
  • I was originally mentored under a Sr QA Engineer
  • I have been in QA since 2016
  • I do have previous coding experience, and can write in gherkin/generate glue code
  • I’m struggling most with combining all the knowledge together, giving context to the individual aspects of writing the scripts
  • We use Eclipse, and it seems difficult to find info online how to use it other than how to set it up

If anyone on this forum can help, or knows where I can find it I would be so grateful. I want to continue to grow and learn.

Thank you, have a nice day :blush:

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Hello Tascha,

Welcome to MoT :meetup_ninja:

When I have started to learn about Selenium & Java in my initial days of testing I too have a set of internal recordings which are given to me. But I can say I learnt more from this Udemy Course by Rahul Shetty. The course even has ‘Core Java’ modules if you want to brush up knowledge/new to Java.

Resource: https://www.udemy.com/share/101Wfu/

All the best :raised_hands:t4: for your learning ahead! Would be waiting from rest of the MoT community if they have any free resources/mentoring opportunities to share here.

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Hi!
Check this guy’s page and maybe connect with him on linkedin. com/in/ivanandcode/ (he is really experienced and he is a Test Automation Coach)
He recently started his own free course in test automation and offers mentoring for beginners so it might be helpful for you, or at least he, I believe, will be able to recommend some great resources for you :blush:
And good luck with your learning :blush:

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Hi Tascha,

I have been coaching for a long time. If you like we can have a chat and see where we go from there.

Others with similar needs should also feel free to DM me. I like to help.

Cheers,

Martin

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One, I think, very important question is this:
You say you’ve been in QA since 2016, suppose that means you’ve been testing, troubleshooting and all that for those couple of years now - does programming (automation is programming) rock your boat as much as testing does?

I actually took the highest programming education in my country, being working class with a math brain but a philosophers soul, because programming was something logical that was also reasonably fun, and where I grew up you had to get a job job. Well, I made my courses, made all exams and laborations with code but realised (too late) that programming did not really rock my boat. Especially when confronted with stuff like LISP, new concepts like Object Orientation (brand new when I studied). Well, I started working at the Big Telecom Company in my country expecting to be a programmer among programmers. But when I got started the manager said, we need Testers. WTF was my initial reaction, but starting testing, pretty quickly becoming a troubleshooter, I found myselt skipping beer nights with the buddies…

Well, I’ve had to do automation now and then during my years as a tester (less than years in managerial positions) and I do it as good as anyone testing automater. But if I compare myself with the actual programmers, who still at 55yo stays up until 2AM forgetting time totally, I produce shite code, shite automations.

Still - I do a litte automation now, and Chatgpt is my friend, but even more, the programmers are. IMHO the core of the automation should really be done by programmers at the departments. It’s their job and passion. And the automations done by the testers should be pretty straightforward in an architecture done by the pro’s.

There ARE some rare animals, I’ve seen a few over the years, who is equally passionate about making code and making code break down. But most seem to be either or. Something a lot of programmers and managers over the years seem to have had a really hard time understanding.

But again - I hope you have discovered AI, because it’s great when you master it (not only accepting the code as is but also learning how to understand it). And, if possible and no other testers are in your position, also ask some programmer you befriend at your organisation. Then of course if you find a good tutor here or elsewhere online, thats good too. But I aint one.

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Unfortunately, I would like to admit that using Eclipse with Selenium and Java is a kind of old combination of tools. Espcially Eclipse. No wonder why it’s difficult to find a good content online about this subject
I would recommend to change IDE at least from Eclipse to IntelliJ. The community edition for IntelliJ is free and work fine with Java. This IDE is much more user friendly than Eclipse.

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I would recommend to change IDE at least from Eclipse to IntelliJ. The community edition for IntelliJ is free and work fine with Java. This IDE is much more user friendly than Eclipse.

You are right about Eclipse, of course. But, as (almost) always, context is quite important here. So if the team/org can be convinced to move over to IntelliJ, that would be great. Until then, Eclipse is best for her, unless:

  • She wants to work with IntelliJ to help convince the team to switch over, or
  • She wants to use IntelliJ privately to just learn / add to her CV / some other personal consideration.
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Hello, and thank you for the replies!

does programming rock your boat as much as testing does?

Not sure about other places, but where I am the only way to move forward with your career in QA is to learn automation. I was a Sr Analyst, and you cannot become a QA Engineer without some kind of coding. So without learning this, this is the end of the line for my career.

I would like to admit that using Eclipse with Selenium and Java is a kind of old combination of tools. Espcially Eclipse. No wonder why it’s difficult to find a good content online about this subject

I 100% agree, unfortunately that’s just the tools we use. Eclipse looks like such an old programme, now I know why XD I can definitely bring up IntelliJ to my boss and the Sr Automation Engineer though, see if that is something they want to implement in the future!

I hope you have discovered AI

The Sr has introduced me to using ChatGPT for use in coding but I would not say I have mastered it, any tips would be greatly appreciated :slight_smile:

Also wanted to add, I went to my Director and the Sr Engineer after making this post and was jsut honest that I was struggling and both of them were very receptive. We have decided to implement a new training regime in the hopes to help work through the issues I have. However I would still like to connect with those that have reached out, there is always something to learn from everyone :slight_smile:

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Even i started my automation journey with Rahul Shetty’udemy course. Very basic and helpful for automation begineers
I would also recomment naveen automation labs in youtube

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Unfortunately Mr Shetty’s course just didn’t work for me, it was the first thing I tried. I did find a course on Udemy by FutureSkillz Academy more along my style if anyone else has issue with that mentioned course.

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