Disclaimer: my views, expressed in these series, not necessarily reflect views of all Weekend Testing facilitators and instructors.

Foreword

And again I open series of posts on Weekend Testing in my blog. Part of it is to organize my thoughts and reflections on the experiences of the past seasons. Part of it is to announce new ideas. And big part of it is due to launch of my latest project – Weekend Testing Toronto Meetup. Yep, we’re going live now, and everyone is welcome to join. If you’re too far to attend live events, you can still join and participate in traditional Skype-based sessions.

The Symbol

Headline on the central Weekend Testing site reads: Test. Learn. Contribute. That is absolutely true. Yet for me, over the years, Weekend Testing came with a very special meaning: dedicating your personal time for professional development. Professional competency and skills development is my own responsibility. Are you onboard with this statement? – Then join the movement.

The Benefits

Through personal experiences and feedback gathered, testers gain this much through Weekend Testing.

• Working with new technologies
• Learning and practicing new testing techniques
• Diversification of testing experiences
• Safe environment to experiment
• Collaborative research and learning
• Professional networking and conferring
• Sharpening critical thinking skills
• Practicing of rapid methods in learning and testing
• Receiving feedback from fellow professionals

And, over time, it turns as

• Self-organizing and quick team building skills
• Grown confidence and leadership
• Boosting of career
• Job security through high employability

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That’s a lot already. And with the new chapter I’m going to address certain limitations and unlock further possibilities. About it – in my next post.