We Empower Women of Quality

As Quality Assurance (QA) continues to gain increasing popularity among many women in tech, we wanted to give you the perspective of two of our QA Engineers on their work, the industry, and women’s roles in tech and in life.  Here is what they had to say.

Alyona Miroshnik

My tech career began rather late, when I was 26 and decided to have a career switch. At the time I was working in the banking sphere with a decent salary. But something wasn’t quite right – I didn’t feel satisfied with my work. Deep down I knew that I’d hit a ceiling and there was no more room for growth. That’s when I decided to go into QA.

Starting from scratch is never easy. I had to go through a series of interviews and practical tasks just to get a job as a junior specialist. And it felt really fulfilling when it all finally worked out. 

Influences. I can’t say I have any particular role models among famous women in IT. I can say, however, that at work, I am constantly motivated by my teammates and team leads. And in life, it is my husband who continues to inspire and motivate me with his ongoing achievements.

Message to women who want to get into the field. The main thing to remember is that you’ve got to maintain your desire and keep working towards your goal. Let me tell you from experience – there’s no obstacle big enough to keep you from achieving your goals. If something doesn’t work out from the first or the tenth try, it’ll definitely work out on the eleventh. Do not give up.

Plus, working in IT is inspiring in the way that it gives women a platform to compete on the same terms as men, reach the same heights as men. No one will stop them just because they are women.

The role of families. The support of families is so very important when it comes to encouraging more women to join the tech industry. It’s very motivating when you have people supporting you in your endeavors. Everything was so much easier with the support of my husband. 

Life at VOLO. VOLO has given me the opportunity to achieve the perfect work/life balance. I am able to do the job that I love and also take care of my child. Coming back from maternity leave was really easy thanks to the company’s care and understanding.

Another thing that makes VOLO so special are the relationships within the team. People are ready to help, listen, and give advice whenever you need it. When you feel heard and everyone’s friendly, you start getting real pleasure from your work.

The specificities of QA. Being in Quality Assurance has helped me think globally, and solve complex problems by looking at the big picture. I especially like testing complex functionalities, where you have to figure out the logic behind the software in order to find a bug.

Hasmik Galstyan

My journey in tech started when I entered the AUA graduate CS program. As a master’s student, I worked on various tech projects with a talented group of students, who later became my close friends.

My next tech experience after graduating the CS program was to work as a QA Engineer at a company in the gaming industry. After several years of working there, I moved to the US, where I worked as a Systems/QA Analyst in a financial institution. There, I worked on the automation of a rule-based letter mailing and processing project for financial institutions significantly improving the efficiency of the process. Then, after moving to Silicon Valley, I worked as a tech support engineer for a CRM company.

After taking a maternity break to raise my two kids, my family moved to Armenia, where I was lucky to be recruited into VOLO Mobile’s QA team.

Influences. I guess what influenced me to pursue a career in tech was always being surrounded by women with science and engineering backgrounds. My grandmother was a Hydro Electrical Engineer, and she was always proud of her successful career. Along with her success in the workplace, she was able to raise her children as a single mother.

Besides, I have always been fascinated with the impact technology has on our everyday lives. I remember as a kid dreaming about my personal hand-held TV.  And now, my job is to contribute to making this “personal TV” more useful to society.

Message to women who want to get into the field. Self-confidence is crucial for success in the workplace; however, many women fail to or are afraid to exercise it. Thus, be confident in yourself, in your knowledge and skills, and know that you can make a difference.

The role of families. The biggest challenge for a woman is to balance her family responsibilities with her career, regardless of the field she works in.  Women, and especially Armenian women, are supposed to be the embodiment of motherly care.  Armenian mothers are expected to single-handedly manage all household- and kids-related duties. This contradicts the requirements especially of the IT industry, which is notorious for its unpredictable schedules and varying workloads.

Thankfully, Armenian families are now transitioning to a more balanced model, in which working mothers and fathers share family responsibilities.

Life at VOLO. VOLO has a very healthy company culture. Women are very much respected professionally and are given ample opportunities to grow and succeed. At the same time, VOLO is very family oriented and truly understands the unique role that women play in society.

The specificities of QA. My experience has taught that for QA engineers, communication and leadership skills are as important as technical skills. We assess the product as a whole, rather than being responsible for a particular piece.  It’s like solving a big puzzle along with your team, the results of which feel very rewarding.