Are you still testing software?

I ran into an old friend over the long weekend. After exchanging hugs and pleasantries we naturally inquired about each other's work. When I mentioned what I continue to do for a living, he was aghast and commented, "Are you still testing software?"

I didn't think much of it that time. Time goes faster in good company, not just in weak gravity wells.

I thought of my friend Will, an ER surgeon. From my perspective, he is living the American dream, working eighty hours a week, perennially sleep deprived and yet manages to coach his son's soccer team on Saturday morning after pulling an all nighter. He makes less than my dentist, who works only four days a week, 9-4.

Will has been a surgeon for over twenty years. I though he would have an answer to the perplexing quandary. So, next time I met him, I asked him how it feels to be a surgeon for twenty years.

Will's answer was unsurprising. First, he never studied medicine to make money. That might partially explain why my dentist makes more than him, but that is besides the point. He wanted to genuinely serve the humanity. Very much like my six year old who today wants to grow up and be a vet so she can save animal lives.

Second, he claimed that it provides him with satisfaction that comes with helping people. He succeeds at time, fails at times. After twenty years of doing the same thing over and over again, he doesn't care much for the results. He cares for the people.

Third, he is not competing with dentists. There would always be a dentist making less than him and there would always be a dentist making more than him. I suspect the latter are in majority.

Finally, he told me that he is making a difference, on his terms, saving lives one patient at a time. It is not something that needs to be regarded as having an end, but a journey.

My thoughts next turned over to my neighbor, Erin. She is a home maker. Has been for fifteen years or so.

So, next time I met her, I couldn't possibly ask her at point blank, "Are you still a home maker?". We ain't that old friends yet. I praised her efforts at the kids spring-fling event at local elementary school and asked her the secret to being a great home maker. Not quite the same question, but still in the ball park.

Erin's answer was unsurprising. Turns out she is the school PTA president. That explained her constant presence at the school, eclipsed only by the constant presence of the school principal.

Half her waking life is devoted to thinking, planning, executing activities around the school. The other half of her waking life is devoted to her family, her husband, her kids, her friends and relatives. Well, maybe not the relatives. And the rest of the time, I can see her on the community trails, taking long walks.

Finally she told me that she is making a difference, on her terms, building relationships, raising happy kids, one day at a time.

Then there's me. Our technology team churns out new features and feature updates faster than a mid-summer tornado in mid-west. We call it an agile environment. My task is to ensure a top grade feature quality, no regressions, no escapes. Sometimes I lose. Sometimes I nearly win. I believe I make a difference; to the team, to the stakeholders, to the consumers and the customers we serve and to the shareholders.

How about you? Are you still testing software? If yes, I am glad you are. Please continue to make a difference in the world of software, one test case at a time.