99 Testing Resources, Automation Certifications, DORA Report and More TGNS139

Do you know what free certification can make yourself stand out in a crowded software testing automation job market? What? LLM just released a feature that could be used for test automation with AI driven agents. And have you seen all the software testing related resources that could take your testing to a whole nother level? Find out on this episode of the Test Skill News show for the week of October 27th. So grab your favorite cup of coffee or tea and let's do this. But before we get into it, if you haven't already, please make sure to subscribe to Our Test Guild LinkedIn News Show Newsletter that I'll have a link for down below to never miss another episode. So I was speaking with some folks that work at Catalan last week and they told me all about how they offer certification programs to help software testers stand out in a competitive job market. So the Catalan Academy has introduced free certification programs aimed at helping software testers build practical skills and improve their marketability in automation testing. So in a challenging economy, these certifications offer testers a hands on approach to learning automation, addressing common questions about standing out to potential employers. And these certifications include practical exercises that guide testers through real world applications of automation tools, making it an accessible way to gain experience. And the certifications also cover essential automation skills needed to keep up with industry demands. And by completing these certifications you can add recognized qualifications to to your resume demonstrating your expertise using Catalan tools for effective test automation. And as you can see, the Academy offers free learning paths, certifications and hands on training guided by industry experts covering web, mobile and API testing. And Catalan's low code tool, Catalan Studio helps testers that have no experience with automation get up to speed with learning automation quickly, with options to scale up by using advanced scripting features as well. In with over 200,000 enrollments and 8,000 certifications issued, Katalon's program supports skill development for manual testers that want to learn how to move to automation or experienced testers seeking validation for their expertise. So I would treat these certifications almost as like a portfolio piece and give practical examples to share in your job interviews showcasing your skills. So definitely check out these free certifications yourself using the link down below. Right? Do you know which LLM just released a new feature to help with test automation? Well, let's find out. Well, I came across Multiple posts on LinkedIn talking about this feature, so I had to learn more about it. The first one's by Philip who pointed to Anthropic, which has rolled out a new feature called Computer Use and its latest LLM model Claude 3.5 sonnet and I noticed Amid also pointed this out as well. So based on this feature, this addition allows AI agents to perform on screen actions in a development that could reshape test automation workflows by leveraging computer vision and natural language processing. These agents mimic human behavior on digital platforms, recognizing and performing actions based on prompts like those in simple test cases. And according to Anthropic, this feature opens doors for automating previously manual processes aimed to make test automation setup faster and less resource intensive. So in test, Claude 3.5 Sonnet has demonstrated its capabilities to interpret and execute commands as as complex as creating JIRA tickets, uploading logs, or adjusting slack settings based on real time needs. And this new technology has already caught the attention of commercial test automation tools including UiPath, which has integrated the computer use feature to expand automated actions within its products. And as I mentioned, experts like Philip has described this advancement as mind blowing, noting that AI's ability to interact with user interfaces represent a new benchmark and how testers and DevOps teams approach automation. Actually mentioned that he anticipates this will lead to a completely different future for test automation, where tasks digitally seen as two tedious to automate could become manageable with minimal manual setup. All right, I came across a new book that I'm really excited about. This was posted Vernon Vernon Richards LinkedIn where he mentioned that him and Nicola just published a new book, the Software Tester's Journey and Exploring Career Opportunities and Adventures, aimed at helping software testers navigate their career paths. The book was designed for testers unsure of their next career steps, and the book addresses challenges from tackling bugs before they reach production, including building influence within development teams. Vernon and Nicola also provide practical advice for testers aspiring to take on leadership roles, highlighting ways to influence quality outcomes early in the development process. And this book is really structured as a career guide. The book focuses not only on technical skills, but also on the critical soft skills essential for career advancement and software testing and quality assurance. And it targets testers at any career stage who might feel uncertain about their direction or unsure how to make a broader impact on their teams and products. So I think that testers looking to broaden their career horizon this is a must read the Software Tester's Journey, which offers a real roadmap that goes beyond testing techniques. You should definitely check it out. Read it for yourself using the link down below. So that's one essential resource you should definitely check out. Well, what about if I told you there are 99 other resources that can help you with your development. Well, you're in luck. Mystery of Testing has just published a new article called 99 Essential Resources to Help Software Testers, which is tailored for software testers at all stages of their career and and this curated list features a mix of articles, tools and training programs designed to enhance skills and knowledge in key areas of software testing, including test automation, exploratory testing, and DevOps integration. And this guide provides practical resources for testers looking to improve technical expertise, boost their productivity, and adapt to the evolving demands of software development. And it's divided into different sections. The resource list addresses diverse aspects of testing, such as learning paths for new testers, advanced methodologies for seasoned professionals, and key resources for specialized testing needs like accessibility and performance testing. With contributions from testing experts and seasoned practitioners, this collection offers software testers direct access to quality educational material and tools widely recognized in the industry. And another resource you should check out is this week's Webinar of the Week, and it's all about AI basics for testers. So in this webinar you're going to discover how generative AI, how it can help you transform your software development and your software testing. This webinar will guide you through the basics of AI technology, highlighting the challenges and strategy for QA teams and showing you how a tool like Blinkio is leveraging AI to actually help with the testing process. This webinar is ideal for testers looking to elevate their skills and understand AI's potential in their career progression. You definitely want to attend to learn about fundamental AI concepts, to grasp the basic principles of AI and how these technologies are applied in software testing. Hope to see you there. So I found this next article about performance testing or performance engineering on LinkedIn from Alexander Padelko, who posted a link to a medium article by Diego, who shares insights on his team's journey with performance engineering. And this article details how Diego's team has tackled significant challenges in optimizing their performance of their platform. And the article outlines the strategies and methodologies employed to improve efficiency, including the adoption of performance testing and monitoring tools. And the team emphasized the importance of integrating performance engineering into your software development lifecycle as early as possible. And this is what they did and allowed them to identify bottlenecks early and and avoid potential issues post deployment. All right, I also came across this next article on LinkedIn, so anytime Lisa Crispin says she's excited about something, I think it's a must read. You need to check it out for yourself as well. And she points to the latest 2024 DORA report. So overall, the report shows that while AI adoption is accelerating across the software industry, its impact on software delivery presents both opportunities and challenges. So some of the key findings is 75.9 of technology professionals now rely on AI to for daily tasks with code writing and information summarizing beyond the most common use cases, organizations using AI report a 2.1 increase in individual productivity. And also it goes of how teams report better code quality and documentation when using AI, but hasn't really translated to improve software delivery performance yet. And last up is Security News. This is a recent article by Karen who discusses the rising threat of AI based attacks in the cybersecurity space and its impact on automating compliance with the payment card industry data security standard. And this article really highlights how AI technologies can be exploited by cybercriminals to enhance their attacks, making them more sophisticated and hard to detect. And as organizations increasingly adopt automated solutions for compliance, ensuring that security of these systems becomes really, really important. All right, for links of everything of value we covered in this news episode. Headed over to all the links in the comments down below. So that's it for this episode of the Test Guild News Show. I'm Joe. My mission is help you succeed in creating end to end full stack pipeline automation awesomeness. As always, test everything and keep the good. Cheers.