United Virtualities prides ourself on many aspects of our company, one of which is our killer QA team. QA is one of the most under-rated parts of the software development, deployment, and management process. In the “To QA Or Not To QA” wars, we are firmly on the side of putting QA front and center of what we do. We must pay attention to details, and QA is all about ensuring that we get every detail right.
And that’s why, with pleasure, today we want to introduce you to Nadia Garcia, the software QA director of United Virtualities’ Guadalajara office. Nadia has a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in Computer Science from the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Occidente (ITESO) in Mexico. We asked Nadia a few questions and here is what she had to say.
What’s the secret behind doing good work?
Ask when you don’t know. Many people are ashamed of admitting when they don’t know something. But to do QA well, admitting when you don’t know something has to be your starting premise.
What non-work related activity are you obsessed with or just very passionate about?
I love Bullet Journaling but recently I’ve been sewing a lot. Recently, I learned about the social problem of fashion. So I decided to start making my own clothing! My mom did not teach me to sew, but I decided to give it a try on my own. I’m just a beginner and I have not done anything fancy yet, but I just love doing it.
What do you love most about your job?
It keeps me challenged. I know it’s a cliche that you should learn something new every day, but I really do. Just yesterday I learned that while making a daily schedule to make your work-life balance easier, the hard part is sticking to it — because when you love your work, time flies! The second thing I really love about my work is that I get to share what I know with others. Also, UV has introduced me to some very talented people whom I look up to, and with whom I love collaborating.
What was your best “aha” moment at work?
This isn’t my best “aha” moment, but a funny one just happened this morning. I was looking into payment gateway documentation, and I wasn’t sure of which payment processor we were going to get data from, to prepare for the payment rejection scenario. I kept on trying it and trying it until it didn’t work until finally I realized… my user didn’t have access to the payment gateway dashboard! This reminded me of one of the most important lessons of QA: often, the solution is in the really simple things that are hard to miss.
What is the most challenging thing about working at UV?
Keeping up with the pace.
