Omer Faruk Arslan, Junior Software Tester
Omer Faruk Arslan, Junior Software Tester at Exactpro, talks about what shaped his decision to pursue a career in IT and the role his team played in the transition, as well as reveals yet another kind of team that’s very dear to his heart.
— I joined Exactpro in May 2022 as a Junior Software Tester. I studied Electrical Electronics Engineering at Sakarya University and did my internships mainly in automation areas. My interest in the IT field rapidly increased in my last year of university, and, as a result, after graduation, I switched to it. Exactpro has been my first real work experience. I already had some knowledge about the company culture, thanks to a friend of mine within. Testing was an area new to me, but after researching and learning a bit about it, I made a decision to apply to Exactpro and, to my luck, I got accepted.
My first weeks at the company consisted of hard training. As the main focus of the company is financial industry projects, I had to learn the basics of finance which was completely new to me. But, thanks to my great mentor, after a few weeks I was already accustomed with the terms. After my training, I was lucky enough to be one of the starting members in my new project under the Global Exchanges division, which I am still part of.
In my current project, I have worked on creating test scenarios, executing manual and automated test cases. I have also had some experience creating Python scripts to compare data, with limited success, but I am definitely looking forward to getting back to it in the near future as I work on improving my ability to write code. That is one of the main benefits of Exactpro. The team always pushes you to learn and get better. Looking back on the first days at the company, I can clearly see how much I have improved, and that is mainly thanks to my great team. Even in my times of despair and low confidence, my manager and the entire team stood by me and worked with me to clear the path. I have always thought of myself as a fast learner and a curious person, and with the company’s approach, I can clearly see myself getting better at what I do.
In my free time, I enjoy playing video games, reading history books, and, at least once a week, play a football match with my friends. Yes, I am a big football nerd and a die-hard Fenerbahce fan starting from the day I was born. My mood for the week mainly depends on how Fenerbahce performs in that week’s game. I know I have to change this, but I am not really sure if I want to :D Apart from that, I also really enjoy reading fantasy novels, with The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan being my all-time favourite.