Adventures in Quality

Yeah, Yeah... I know... It's been a while. What can I say other than as usual life happens?

The year 2010... wow what a year it has been eh? I gotta admit, it was a fun year... one full of the changes and challenges that come with another year lived and enough ebbs and flows to make me grateful for all that I have learned and experienced and hoping that 2011 brings with it a bit of calm for a change.

I have decided to get back into the habit of writing and am re-dedicating myself to that which I have forsaken for far too long. I truly do enjoy sharing a bit of myself in this way, as it's one of the few creative outlets I have and it is nice to have a place to vent the crazy things that ramble through my brain on a day to day basis. Not to mention, if I'm going to fulfill my dream of writing a book some day I might as well figure out how to write something interesting now and hopefully by the time the moons are in alignment and am inspired to sit down and actually write something of use, I will be ready to hit the ground running.

The topic that has been on my mind recently has been the recurring theme of quality and how it plays out in my day to day life, both on a professional level, but also on a professional level.

I recently attended a conference on the topic of "Quality Assurance" (more to come on this later) and met a ton of really incredible people in the testing community. What an amazing experience it was to share the week with this group of people people that perceive the world in a similar way... kicking ideas around and brainstorming about how to take what we learned back to our individual lives and make a difference in the communities that we are a part of.

I must admit, I have been a bit down in the dumps in regards to my career choice and have even caught myself daydreaming of living out the rest of my days as a 'Barista' making coffee or hell, even flipping burgers! It turns out that the business of "quality" isn't as conducive to a low stress and "Zen" lifestyle as I once thought... who would have thought? ;)

For the first time in years, I was reminded, once again, why I got into this business to begin with, and why I have stayed with it through all of these years... this thing called quality... the thing that challenges me, that frustrates me, and causes much loss of sleep. The thing that drives my passion and my curiosity. My blessing and my curse...

So I have decided to write more on the topic. To share the little moments that make up my days as a QA Manager in a very demanding industry and as myself... just an ordinary girl out there on a quest to suck the marrow out of this thing called life.

Stay tuned world... I'm just getting started. ;)