How could so many get it wrong?

I come from the part of the globe called Bangladesh, known by many for its floods, poverty and corruption. They all got it wrong, just like many got testing wrong. But this blog is not about me or my country. It is about my experiences in software testing and how it can inspire others.

Michael Bolton said I sound fascinating. James Bach said I write very well. Pradeep Soundararajan said I should start a blog. So here I am. Even though, this does not mean they endorsed me, it did encourage me.

I like to think that I got testing right from the unlikeliest of conditions, because:

• Fortunately, I was forced into testing since my company was in a crisis and thought I was the best programmer for the job.
• Fortunately, I could not find anyone in my proximity to answer my queries on software testing.
• Fortunately, there were very few, yet boring, books on software testing at local book stores.
• Fortunately, there were no training centers on testing certifications.
• Fortunately, the seminars I attended were pretty shallow in content.
• Fortunately, I had to explore my curiosity on my own.
• Fortunately, I was bored with testing and wondered why others could write about it with so much passion.
• Fortunately, I was always under deadline pressure and was denied my demand for more testing time.
• Fortunately, I had the courage to try out my assumptions and was ridiculed for it.

I questioned the applicability of everything I read, heard, saw and experienced. In my quest I came across the writings of Cem Kaner, Bret Pettichord, James Bach, Michael Bolton and few others who made sense of it all. Yet I questioned their reasoning to my context.

My mistakes taught me what to avoid, while the experiences of others intrigued me to investigate further.

No wonder so many still get it wrong.

"Testing is the INFINITE PROCESS of comparing the INVISIBLE to the AMBIGUOUS so as to avoid the UNTHINKABLE happening to the ANONYMOUS!" -- James Bach

I accept the challenge...