My life in software collaboration has begun

Meet my new MacBook

Hello people, this is my first post, first of many i will be making in the exciting world of crowdsourcing and collaboration software

One of interesting aspects of software testing is the network meeting’s, a few weeks ago i attended one such meet ups on Load testing by Scott Barber at the Google offices.

After the meeting, i got to chatting to the testing and i learnt a few things which i will share with you here.

1, One woman i met from Europe told me she did not think she stood much of a chance applying through sites like Seek.com.au, instead she would go knock on software companies doors, ask for the HR manager and physically give them her CV.
i did this once in Dublin and i got a job offer from it, the guy smoking a cigarette at the door was the boss and he was hugely impressed someone would go knocking on doors in the age of Information technology.

2, She told me if you apply for jobs the way everybody else applies for jobs, you are one of 200 people a recruitment person is viewing, you need to stand out from the crowd.
3, With the $$ cost of hiring, job hunters applying through sites like LinkedIn are preferred, on liked in it’s pretty clear how much experience you have, they can see who you know, groups you’re a part of, if you have a good reputation, it’s obvious.
After all the knocking on doors, the woman i met got a job through a person she met at a networking event, she told me she wouldn’t have stood a chance on seek.

4, Another woman i met told me she was getting Selenium Automation experience by volunteering for various Firefox (Mozilla) projects, she was using this tool with her MacBook

5, It seems, from what i can see it’s not really good enough to be ‘good enough’, you need to be a stand out from the crowd person

All of this, for me is very inspirational, and now i have purchased a MacBook to participate in the world of crowdsourcing and software collaboration, contributing to the lives of others, while developing my own skills in areas like Selenium Automation.

What appeals to me about writing about this is i am coming from knowing almost nothing, like when i went to buy the MacBook from the people at Microseconds, the main requirement was that i could install and use the Selenium Automation tool, not the easiest or helpful installation process devised by man.

But i did get to know Hugh from Wales, the helpful sales man, it was his first introduction to Selenium Automation, and i think he would rather leave it to me.

So people, this is the start and it’s going to continue and i will be recording my experiences, trials and tribulations with crowdsourcing and software collaboration projects