Slides
Overview
Are you a manual tester who wants to break into automation, but doesn’t know how or where to start? Have you been trying to find a job as an automation engineer, but keep getting rejected because you lack experience?
This was a roundtable discussion and fireside chat where we shared real experiences and provided concrete suggestions on how to make the shift, prepare for, and land a job as an automation engineer.
Panellists
- Sven Thirion (organiser) — previously created scFv antibodies for breast cancer treatment; now an AI & quality engineering consultant
- Karlin Kappala (co-organiser) — started as an artist, fell in love with testing complex software through code, now consults multi-national corporations on quality automation
- David Tan (co-organiser) — turned his passion for puzzles into a thriving SDET career
What We Discussed
- How people from completely unrelated backgrounds made the shift into automation
- What skills actually matter (vs. what job descriptions say they want)
- How to get experience when no one will hire you without experience
- Portfolio projects and how to present them
- Interview preparation for SDET and automation engineer roles
- What to expect in your first 90 days
Key Takeaways
The path from manual to automation isn’t a single leap — it’s a series of small, deliberate steps. The testers who make it aren’t necessarily the most technically gifted; they’re the ones who stayed curious and kept building things, even when nobody was watching.
Event Details
Format: Roundtable / fireside chat
Community: Testaholics Anonymous — Past Events
The next shift — from automation engineer to AI engineer — is already underway. What it looks like: Making the Case for QE in the Age of AI. If you’re trying to break in today, the bar looks different too: Who Trains the Next Generation of Senior Engineers?