Apprentice software test analyst Review

My role is to insure that software used by the university staff or students works as expected.My day to day involves attending to project meetings, preparing test cases or actually testing software, producing reports for project managers or suppliers, learning about new testing tools, testing concepts and testing techniques.

In my time with the university so far I have learnt many things, such as: - How to assess a website’s accessibility and how to perform manual and automated accessibility testing. - How to follow ISTQB procedures to ensure that the testing I perform is of high quality and professionally done.

I really enjoy my apprenticeship, my team is amazing, supportive, experienced and very talented. I am am extension of my college where we share the same ideals and always aim high without the fear of failing, and in the case I do fail I know they will be there to support me back up. The work that I do is rewarding in the sense that it is very technical, intriguing and you never stop learning.

My programme is as organised as I want it to be. What I mean by this is that it is up to me how I organise it, for example, I can do my ISTQB test in the first couple of months of my apprenticeship or in the last two months of my apprenticeship if I wanted to, or if I wanted to study black box testing this month I could and would be supported by my college and employer.

I receive a lot of support from my employer. Twice every week me and my managers meet up to have a catch-up on the things I did personally and professionally and the things I will do, also how the workload is feeling if I want more time to focus on my college, etc.

I also receive immense support of my college. Every month me, my manager and my coach meet up for a review on how I’ve been doing, what I’ve been working on, things I can improve on and setting goals for the next month. I also meet up with my coach weekly to discuss what I can do to achieve our goals.

With software testing being very technical and the methods used varying lots from tester to tester the qualification can guide me to standardising how I approach my testing and how to do it professionally. It also helps me with having a goal for the future by showing me all the different opportunities available to me.

Yes, not only do we have departamental activities such as football and the knitting group, we also have clubs within the University available to staff and students such as the Mixed Martial Arts club, the Salsa club, rowing club, gym, sports centre, swimming pool, to name a few. We also have many other events in the holidays and during work periods.

Yes

Not only would I but I have done it before. The University offers so much support to it’s staff and is always trying to move you up in your career. We also offer so many benefits, such as local discounts, parking within the city and much more. And there are so many extra curricular activities that allow for meeting new people and hobbies.

If you are applying for the University of Oxford I would say that you need to show you are passionate about what you want to do, that you have goals for your future and that you are willing to put the work in. Also be friendly and try keep calm during the application process.