SWE Peer Partnership - Skills Gap

When I first joined the Society of Women Engineers, I also joined an affinity group for early career professionals. As part of this affinity group, I was accepted into a peer partnership program, where I can give and receive peer coaching from another woman who is early along in her career. Based on topics that we indicated interest in on our application forms, we were assigned to our peer coaches.

Today, on a warm Monday evening, we met with our peer coaches. My partner and I opted to discuss skill gaps in industry-specific skills. I learned that she is also a test engineer, but that she isn't sure that she wants to continue on this path for her career. She's earlier in her career than I am, so I can't say that I learned all that much from our discussion, but I was more than happy to share about my journey.

To stay up to date with emerging technologies in my field, I tend to learn by doing. I started Chirp to learn what it takes to run a tech startup, and I participated in a hackathon to practice software development. What I do is fun to me; I enjoy trying new things and putting my capabilities to the test. My partner shared extensive experiences with imposter syndrome in the workplace, and I resonated with this. The more you learn, the more you feel like you know nothing. The more I try to become a better-equipped engineer, the more I discover that I don't have experience with. We discussed resources and advice on developing new technical and soft skills.

I shared that I'd like to brush up on my foundational engineering knowledge, but obtaining an EIT certification isn't very advantageous as a test engineer. I looked into the Professional Scrum Master Certification, but I still felt like there could be a better fit. Then, I discovered the Certified Tester - Foundation Level from the International Software Testing Qualifications Board. It would cost me upwards of $250 for the study material and opportunity to take the exam. This could be something for me to consider purchasing with the prize money that I earned from the hackathon.

I'm also toying with the idea of publishing a research paper on a topic relevant to test engineering. This could be a good way for me to brush up my knowledge while also demonstrating my commitment to the craft.

I was grateful for the opportunity to speak with my peer coach about skills related to the test engineering industry, but I think that I have to speak to someone more experienced in order to gain some insight on what the best path forward is for me.