TdT – meeting people and sharing ideas

The_start{
I have joined TdT on September 2012 (Meetup #8 TdT Timisoara) just a few weeks after starting to work as a software testing engineer. I was very happy to know that there is community which shares ideas, experiences and knowledge regarding QA in software.
I attended several TdT Meetups and all of them were different and interesting. Every time there was a new subject and a new speaker. It is unlikely to say which one was the best, but for sure some meetings were a great experience.
}

The_story{
The first TdT meetup I attended was very interesting because I meet the people in the QA domain from different companies and software areas. A presentation about ISTQB Foundation Level certificate was made. It was very helpful because the speaker shared with us not only general information regarding the exam, but also better ways to learn, where to find useful data for the exam and how to understand batter the questions. I set for myself a target for the upcoming years to achieve the certification and this year I achieve this goal ! Not only the presentation was nice, but also the Meetup itself. Some of the participants shared some ideas from their everyday QA experiences and also we made a quiz with some questions and exercises that a candidate might have on an interview for a QA job.
Meetup #12 was also interesting because the TDD (Test Driven Development) principle was presented. The presentation was outstanding and caught everyone’s interest. I have better understand the different ways for software development lifecycle and after a while I was involved in several projects with different development lifecycles.
The workshop held on Meetup #14 brought a new approach for testing: Selenium and the Page objects principle. It was a good hands-on approach and I was able to practice this type of testing which I find very useful in testing activities.
}

The_current_state{
TdT helped me discover the importance of good testing. It also helped me to better understand some QA work principles in terms of testing levels, design, techniques, risks and tools. At TdT I also got useful data about QA conferences and I am very interested in attending conferences for sharing experiences and meeting QA people.
}