Rona: How I became the first QA Engineer at Symph

A working scholar and Computer Engineering major to QA Engineer in today's #HumansofSymph series. Rona Maceda's story is worth reading, hoping to inspire more women to explore the great opportunities in the tech industry and in Symph. Because we are kool hoomans in her free time, Rona enjoys watching anime and Korean pop music videos as well as dancing to K-pop and K-drama songs.

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Brief History

“Before I became a QA Engineer, I was a working scholar and a Computer Engineering student from USC. I applied and became a QA intern at Symph for 5 months. I was assigned to multiple projects and gained new skills and experiences. When I got accepted as Symph's very first QA Engineer, I felt excited yet anxious - because I was afraid that I might fail. "But some people try hard and yet fail, and that is okay. Failures are the stepping stones to success." This lesson from my internship and life experiences gave me the confidence to continuously improve and be better at my job, rather than be afraid of failure.”

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Why Symph, Rona?

“Working with the amazing people in Symph has inspired me greatly. From the start of my internship up until working as a QA Engineer, the company has given me the opportunity to learn and grow. The company's amazing culture enabled me to express myself better and learn to be proactive.”

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A day in a life of a QA Engineer in Symph

“A QA Engineer at Symph is responsible for and involved in reviewing product specifications, developing detailed test plans and test cases, and performing different testing strategies to ensure the quality of the software developed.

My typical day starts by joining a kick-off sync, where participants take turns answering questions. I then attend client meetings, collaborate with the team, do QA tasks and learning activities. My current project is one of the most interesting and challenging projects that I've worked on. I was able to not only apply the skills I learned in Symph but learn new things as well."

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If we were to grow our QA practice at Symph some more, what would you like to lead on, and how others can help?

“Setting up the QA culture and establishing a stronger QA process. I believe the whole team needs to work together in developing a test strategy, be aware of testing activities and be responsible for the quality to optimize results and deliver high-quality products and services to our customers."

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Advice from a QA Engineer

“Be proactive and continuously learn and explore new ideas and technologies. Be willing to adapt to process variations. Be inquisitive, ask questions and understand the project/product features and requirements. Take accountability for your tasks. Develop and improve critical thinking and attention to detail."

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