How did we get there...
Well, because we are lucky.
We are lucky that we started out testing career working with a manager that would get us as many books about testing as we asked, and let us some time to read them at office hours, that was the spark that started all this. We learned that there is a testing community, formed by testers, trying to get better in what they do, to become true craftsman in software testing.
I was lucky enough to have lunch sitting next to Derk-Jan de Grood, at the Bilbao Test&QA Conference last year. We talked about getting a proposal for a talk, and he told me that a good idea is to tell something that happened to you, to tell your own experience in your work.
Then, once the Copenhagen Context Conference call for papers was done, and the programme got released, there happened to be a chance for getting one free ticket for the conference. You just had to submit a video explaining why you would like to go there. (Well, the topic was about getting Context Driven Testing further, but you know what I mean)
I had to give it a try, I would tell a story, the story of how I became a Software Tester, but I would not record it at my living room, that's too lame, I would record it outside, with a green background, that's always nice. And I would not record it alone, I want somebody else in the frame, so I'll ask my friend Tomislav to join me, after all, we become software testers the same day.
Then the night before, I realized that it would be waaay more fun, if instead of asking a place for me, I would ask a place for him at the conference. And I didn't tell him anything, so the surprise in his eyes when I come out with the idea was a true surprise recorded by the camera.
This was fun, really fun, and that's how Tomislav got his way to this conference.
For my side, I went to EuroStar conference in Dublin, and met Morten Hougaard there. He asked me how could he get me to his conference, and we agreed that I would be the conference Blogger. We had both seen the awesome work that Neil Studd had produced for the conference blog and we used this as a example of what we could try to do. One post per week, be it long or short and I would pay my way to the conference.
Cool, but now you have to publish something, so I decided to ask for help, as the conference is going to be about the people getting to it, I asked for help, I recorded a petition with my phone, and using that as example, I sent it to the people I knew were coming to the conference. The feedback was just fantastic.
Pradeep Soundararajan:
James Bach:
Graham Freeburn:
Huib Schoots & Richard Bradshaw: Video
With this, and a little help from my friends, I managed to publish as we agreed, and that's how I got my way to the conference.
So, basically, we went all that way to Copenhagen because we were lucky.
But I'm telling you something... For the next years edition, there is going to be a free slot for a Blogger, and it could be you.
Just stay tuned to the http://copenhagencontext.com/ site and give it a try, make your own way to the Copenhagen Context 2016 Conference.
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