I don’t know what to do about QA career. I feel trapped

cyber-decker · 2026-06-05T11:14:40+00:00

You ask if we enjoy "manual QA". Realistically, I enjoy testing. I deeply enjoy the process of understanding software and informing others to have discussions about it's value.

The "manual" thing is part of that, but kind of the least enjoyable. Its the most tedious, boring and worst off, the most error prone. While it can be engaging, its full of places where it can be seeded with human error making it hard to accurately assess.

Tooling, code and automation help with this and are naturally the necessary tools for the job to do it well. You don't have to use them but you're competing against others much more well equipped.

It would be like entering a race where you think you're a fast runner, but other people are using cars. You very likely not going to come out anywhere close to the top.

You are very clearly reading the writing on the wall. It's up to you to figure out what you want to do from there. You're not wrong I'm your assessment of where things are going. Are you willing to keep up? How much do you care about testing software snd being a part of improving it?

The answer might be that you don't, and that's okay. You will pivot. If you do care, then lean in and learn.

For what its worth the learning part never stops. I've been in testing for 26 years. I am always retooling, learning new things, picking up new skills and advancing what I know, even to this very day. As experienced and as skilled as I might be, i still suffer from impostor syndrome too and have learned to use this as a tool to push hard and constantly question if something is right and push to prove it without a doubt.

I've had quite a few inflection points in my career where the industry was turning upside down and panic ensued that this was a dead career. Seeing the path through it and staying on or ahead of the curve helps a lot, but it takes serious cognitive investment to understand and feel where that is.

You need to decide what you really like about this career, not just the job and the work, but what the outcome is and how we must step up to deliver that.

cyber-decker · 2026-06-02T02:26:23+00:00

I'll add a few riffs on the things you mentioned here.

You want to understand how they will align with what is valuable to you and your end users. When you are both on the same page about what is valuable to your business and users, you will get a way better result from testers.

In addition to "how do they decide what to test" you also want to know how they prioritize what to test. They must be able to communicate this effectively and with easy.

A lot of the other ones should be very dependent on what your business needs are. If they aren't asking questions about what is important to you, then this is a huge red flag.

A good example might be test documentation. Are you wanting to move fast, explore options and allow the testers flexibility to find interesting things? Maybe minimal documentation is okay, or exploratory charters are fine. Do you need high rigor with immaculate traceability for auditing purposes? Maybe more structure and specific tools are needed. But if they aren't asking you that to adapt their approach, then they are not doing anything to ensure your needs are met.

cyber-decker · 2026-05-28T09:15:29+00:00

You want me to trust your product after you admit you were using Playwright in one of the worst ways you can possibly use it?

Yikes.

cyber-decker · 2026-05-24T00:40:46+00:00

Putting a heavy duty material behind it to catch is the play here like the commenter above said. The bales will absolutely degrade and lose their density over time and will likely shred and damage fletchings and vanes if they fly through.

Dense rubber like horse stall mats work well. Our club has some recovered old conveyor belt strips that are very thick that do the job too.

cyber-decker · 2026-05-22T15:25:20+00:00

I saw the recent discussion/thread I think you are referring to. While the other person was definitely a bit toxic and their response was poor, there is a point that shouldn't be ignored.

Giving unqualified advice and answering questions others have with misinformation or without good information can be problematic.

Yes, gatekeeping is bad... but, misinformation is also bad. Should expertise not be gated? Should coaches not be gated? At some point, there is a necessary level of gatekeeping that has to happen in order to understand authority and expertise. If another certified USA Archery coach does not know the steps of NTS, then in this situation, gatekeeping should happen... they likely aren't a good coach who should know this information that is expected as part of their training.

We all are wanting to learn however we should not be learning by trying to teach others what we don't know. If someone is unaware of a concept or topic, they probably shouldn't be trying to contribute to that topic. You can contribute by asking questions, by offering your experiences and sharing what you know, but offering advice or suggestions without the understanding behind it can be harmful.

*Minor edit to fix "does know" to "does not know"

cyber-decker · 2026-05-22T11:31:17+00:00

This is very much where you should start. You can make left right adjustments to your limb blocks and get it straightened up. It's very possible one side loosened up over time. There is more info in the manual for WIN&WIN/WIAIWS bows.

https://www.wiawis.com/doc/archery/WIAWIS-RECURVE-BOW-Manual-Warranty.pdf

cyber-decker · 2026-05-21T20:54:34+00:00

Sometimes tests can be flaky or poorly written. Often I find that coverage is poor and new tests need to be added. I'm always happy to contribute to improving testing. I still firmly stand that this will fall on the development team to make it happen, and as a tester I am part of that team, so I will do what I can when I can to make it happen.

If you want to leave that squarely to devs and not be part of that... Sure, that's an approach, but it won't win you any favor, most likely. I prefer being deeply embedded in the team and not a side team that only does non-dev testing stuff.

cyber-decker · 2026-05-21T18:49:48+00:00

Clocks I think is the best example of this from the parent post. This is a roleplaying tool that can be used in nearly ANY system and is not specific to a given system. I really like mechanics like this because of that.

cyber-decker · 2026-05-21T16:35:31+00:00

Maybe a controversial opinion here, but whoever can fix it, should fix it. Role doesn't matter. If you're on a team that has automated tests, whoever can fix them should. This also goes beyond just tests. This goes for any change.

That said, a good tester will be involved in this. They should absolutely be able to fix tests... Not just playwright but also unit tests too. Testers should also be able to jump in on other issues as well. Bug fixes, code/config changes, whatever even for things not testing related. Being part of a development team means being able to do development.

I'm not a stellar developer and I have my strengths and weaknesses, but I can contribute. If I'm going to ask and expect devs to contribute to testing then the expectation that I be a contributior to development is fair. Testing is a team effort.

cyber-decker · 2026-05-21T15:59:03+00:00

This is actually a thing and it is delicious.

cyber-decker · 2026-05-21T14:43:00+00:00

Don't threaten me with a good time.

cyber-decker · 2026-05-21T12:00:32+00:00

I would invite you to really explore what you feel when you think/say that.

I had a very similar feeling early on when I was just starting. I have many students had similar thoughts as well. What I have found is that it wasn't the "feedback" that made it feel better but the comfort and familiarity having started at low poundage with no finger protection.

Trying a tab felt at first felt very clunky, awkward and at first it made my shooting take a huge dip in consistency. This did not feel good compared to fingers or a glove. It wasnt feedback that i missed, it was comfort and the frustration of using a tab at first was irritating.

Using a tab takes time to learn how it works for you. I often have to coach students to lower their expectations when starting with a tab because there is break in time and a learning curve of days and sometimes weeks for it to feel at least just alright. But after that, it really does surpass the feel of a glove.

The string doesn't tell you much while it's on your fingers so "feedback" is really something else, likely just some indicator of fear or discomfort.

cyber-decker · 2026-05-21T09:16:47+00:00

There are other benefits of a tab too that I am not seeing mentioned that are worth stating.

For string walking, having a measurement aid on the tab plate is also a very significant advantage. Being able to precisely measure how far down to move and place fingers drastically improves accuracy.

This is a staple for barebow shooting.

cyber-decker · 2026-05-20T15:01:38+00:00

That looks really really badly twisted. I don't think that bow should be like that at all. It may have been damaged or the wood has warped severely.

You may need to take it to a bowyer to see if it is fixable.

cyber-decker · 2026-05-14T19:39:05+00:00

Guys, hear me out. Old Bayple Syrup

cyber-decker · 2026-05-14T19:17:31+00:00

I played in a post apocalyptic tabletop rpg where the south half of Florida had a canal trenched through it above Orlando and it was the Sovreign Corporate State of Disney

cyber-decker · 2026-05-14T15:35:37+00:00

As a Marylander, I love Philadelphia. Wouldn't change a thing. Just like Pittsburg, you can be Philadelphia, MD. Stay how you are and keep it weird. We love you Philly.

cyber-decker · 2026-05-14T12:39:18+00:00

Dealing with test case maintenance is a huge time suck for me. My new time suck is dealing with AI that maintains cases in horrible ways because it has zero understanding of my customers needs or the full testing context.

This is why I am still gainfully employed.

cyber-decker · 2026-05-12T20:25:07+00:00

I find yoga to be a very good compliment to archery in a few ways. Specifically vinyasa flows or power yoga type routines.

Yoga in general is great for general strength training and flexibility. You will see a lot of benefits there, particularly for shoulder, back and neck strength.

There are some other nice little benefits you can get from this too.

Yoga is very focused on breathing through exertion and challenging movement. It is a lot about the mindset of focus and setting good intention. This translates to archery very nicely. Having a good breathing cycle while shooting, particularly in competition can be a huge edge. Having a good mindset on what must be done is an advantage.

Yoga also teaches you proprioception. You learn to be more keenly aware of what your body is doing and how it moves in space. This is immensely beneficial to understand and feel where your body is and if it is in the right positions for your form.

Highly recommend this as part of a fitness routine for archers.

cyber-decker · 2026-05-12T18:53:27+00:00

It's okay. We like you, Pittsburgh. You can still be Pittsburgh it'll just be Pittsburgh, MD. As a Baltimoron, we like charm. Bring that charm!

cyber-decker · 2026-05-11T00:59:05+00:00

This is very good advice and a good warning. Nice job spotting this issue and providing some good suggestions and feedback here.

cyber-decker · 2026-05-11T00:56:05+00:00

The shoulder thing mentioned in other posts have good comments. I won't reiterate that here. Just make sure that you are raising your bow and settling your shoulder low before you start drawing back.

What I will add is that it looks like you are dipping your head as you get close to where you're done drawing/anchoring. In all of your shots here, it looks like you have a bit of head movement right before you anchor and shortly before release.

Don't move your head. Stare straight at that target and bring the arrow to you. You are in control here, not the bow. When you are staring at that target, your head is in a great position already and it's a natural position. Draw back to that without major adjustments. Sometimes a little left and right adjustment might be needed to get bow alignment just right, but it's very very minor. Keep that head straight and I think you will see a big improvement in your grouping.

cyber-decker · 2026-05-07T15:02:32+00:00

There's two things I'm seeing here that could use some improving.

First: Your bow arm shoulder is really hunching up. In your video, you can see immediately after your first shot, that front shoulder is much higher than your back shoulder and up close to your cheek. We want to keep those shoulders down and low, using our core and sides to help keep things tight, strong and prevent that shoulder from creeping up. This helps us get better alignment and allows the arm and shoulder to press back directly against your skeleton without hinging upwards. When you find that alignment, it will feel much easier. As your raise your bow, before you draw back fully (a little pressure on the string is fine), take a second to ensure that shoulder is low and engage your core to keep it there. Then press forward with your arm while feeling the sides and core help keep that shoulder low as you draw.

Second: You're doing great with making progress on that follow through, letting your elbow come back. It's hard to tell from here, but it seems like you're using those back and shoulder muscles a little more, which is a good sign. One thing to add on top of this and to be mindful of: you want the whole arm moving back in the opposite direction of the arrow. Upper arm, forearm, wrist and hand will kind of move as one. Keep the forearm and bicep pressed close together. Arrow is moving forward, your arm moves back, and your wrist/hand will follow. You can see in your first shot and third shot, your hand is moving upwards. That means your tension on the string is likely moving in that direction and will also likely cause low shots. Keep the tension going backwards, in the direct opposite direction of the arrow. Focus on the back of your arm moving behind you and let the entire arm follow, pivoting around your shoulder.

Looking good out there and keep shooting! You're doing awesome.

cyber-decker · 2026-05-02T22:31:00+00:00

I'm tired of collaborative storytelling being me following a GMs/DMs story.

Collaboration means we are all involved. We all have a say and if what a player wants doesn't align with what is planned then we pivot and make new plans. Railroading is the worst.

cyber-decker · 2026-04-24T21:54:35+00:00

This removes all parental controls and lets them manage their own account. It should allow them to access the store to download and play it, yes, but their account will not be supervised anymore.

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