At our company, we truly value the loyalty of our employees who choose to stay with us over the long term. It's incredibly rewarding to see those who have been with us grow and develop, taking on new roles and embracing various educational opportunities along the way. We take pride in creating an environment where our team members can build their careers and achieve personal and professional growth. Kerim Kurtagić has been a valuable member of our team for eight years now, and here he will share some of his journey insights.
Can you provide a brief introduction about yourself and your role as a senior consultant?
I have been with System Verification for about 8 years now and, so far, it has been quite an interesting journey. I am currently working as a QA Lead for one of our biggest clients, additionally, I also have an internal role as a Team Manager within the company.
What inspired you to pursue a career in QA, and how did your journey lead you to your current role as a senior consultant?Quality in every aspect of life is something I strive for in general, looking for improvements in every segment is something I am passionate about. Having that said, when starting my career it was pretty straightforward which area of IT would suit me the best and what is the right career path to pursue.
The journey itself, as mentioned earlier, was really interesting and if I have to point out only one thing which was my main driver, it would be gaining knowledge. From the beginning of my career, I have worked within different roles and tasks, from manual testing, test automation, test management, QA in general of different projects, processes, automation solutions, and overall improvements that will bring value to the clients and help them in achieving their goals. All of those different roles and all of the work delivered were invaluable experiences filled with a lot of knowledge, and challenges, which, eventually, led to the role of senior consultant.
In what ways has the company supported your professional development and growth, especially in roles like yours, and have you participated in any training programs?
When it comes to System Verification, the company was always there to support me on this journey with all sorts of training, courses, certificates, etc. which were neccessary for getting to the point where I am today. What I feel is more important, is that they were always there to challenge me, create opportunities for my journey, have trust in me, and give me the possibility to prove myself as a QA professional.
In our company, we have many internal programs that provide opportunities for employees to learn and gain new knowledge. I'd like to highlight the top three:
- The ‘Test Star’ program: I was a part of the first generation of this program. It focuses on Test Automation, CI/CD, Performance Testing, and similar concepts, providing overall great knowledge and an overview of different aspects of the testing approach.
- 'AI for everyone' program: currently ongoing and consists of a series of webinars, education parts, and ISTQB AI Testing certificate at the end.
- 'Yearly conference' educational journey: I would also like to highlight this opportunity we have at this company, which is a great opportunity to listen to some experts skilled in both IT and Soft skills fields, evoking amazing discussions where we get to gain knowledge and insights from our colleagues worldwide.
What are some challenges you've faced in your role, and how have you overcome them?
Well, I would say working as a QA is exactly about finding the challenges and overcoming them together with the team in the best possible way. If you ask me how to do it, I would say always focus on the solution and reflect afterward in order to improve and avoid those challenges repeating themselves.
Looking forward, what are your aspirations for further growth within the company, and how do you plan to achieve them?
As we all know, the IT industry is constantly evolving and it happens very fast, so for one to be an expert in any field of IT, you have to always be on your toes, gaining new knowledge constantly, keeping up with industry standards and adjusting it in the best way, to meet client needs. So basically, that is the plan to become a QA expert.
What do you enjoy the most about being a consultant?
For me, the best thing about being a consultant is the opportunity to work with many different industries, companies, and teams across the globe, which gives a great experience and the opportunity to always learn new things, broaden your knowledge, and build an irreplaceable skillset.
Interested in learning more about our Sarajevo office? Be sure to check our office page, and get more insights into our ways of working, open positions, and our office in general.
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