Name: Chloe Mitchell
Role: Test Engineer, Allstate.
What does your typical day look like?
The first thing I do in the mornings is check up on my emails that I would have received after logging out. I would then join a stand-up call with other test engineers to discuss what we plan on working on that day. After that, I spend a few hours working on stories or work on creating automated test cases once I have completed the manual side of things. Then the afternoon comes, where I then meet up with my scrum team to discuss what we are working on that day and if we have any issues that are blocking us from completing those tasks.
What are you currently working on?
At present, my team are working on implementing a new insurance product for the Allstate customers. My role within the team is to design and implement the tests that ensure the quality and functionality of the application. It is also my responsibility to manage a suite of 220 automated test cases and ensure that any problems are identified and brought to the attention of the corresponding team so that the issues can be fixed. I also add to the suite of automated test cases on a weekly basis when there are new functionalities implemented.
What inspired you to join this company in particular?
When I was completing my A-level in Software Systems Development, we had to complete a 3-day work experience, I was placed in Allstate. During this time, I shadowed several employees with different roles, I really liked the atmosphere and the culture so from then my goal was to work here after completing my degree. When I completed my degree, I joined Allstate as a support analyst where I worked until they opened their graduate roles to which I applied and have been here for around 18 months now.
Did you always want to work in this industry (tech)?
The short answer is yes. From a young age I was always interested in technology. For Christmas one year I got a laptop from Santa and I was always playing games or creating webpages on applications like Freewebs. During my teenage years, I found myself questioning whether I really wanted to work in tech, but I am really glad that I have.
What’s your favourite part about your work?
I enjoy the mix of tasks, problem-solving and the people. No day is the same, we work within an agile methodology. I really enjoy being able to test the new functionality and features that are coming through the team board every day. I sit and think of things that could possibly break the functionality and it is a great feeling when you find a bug. I also enjoy completing more technical tasks when creating automated test cases using selenium and java. I also really enjoy coaching new test engineers that join the flight area as this also helps me to develop my coaching and communication skills.
What would you say to other people considering a job in this industry (tech)?
I would say that if you are interested in the industry then give it a go, there is something for everyone. For me, I enjoyed the design and web development aspects of the industry, but I didn’t want to spend my career developing back-end code and that was something that I was worried about when I was looking into the jobs areas within the industry. There are lots of different opportunities and there is a high chance that one of those opportunities will interest you.
How do you see this technology impacting our lives?
In terms of the area, I work in which is testing, this will massively impact customers as we are heavily customer focused and take great pride in creating a user-friendly application.
What do you consider to be the most important tech innovation or development in recent years?
Artificial Intelligence and machine learning are the most important tech innovation or development in recent years. For instance, without AI, we wouldn't have achieved the amazing advances on the Internet of Things, virtual reality, chatbots, facial recognition, robotics, automation, or self-driving cars, just to name a few.
What tech gadget could you not live without?
I think this will be a common answer… my phone. It has everything that I need. If I forget my purse I can pay for things, I can use it as a boarding pass when going abroad and when abroad I can easily use it to communicate using translate.
