Zenobia Gawlikowska

I don't believe in luck (maybe a bit?). So I have to repost. Senior QA Engineer here, specializing in automation and searching (and solving) new challenges. I'm quite good on building solid testing frameworks from the ground up, primarily with Playwright (Cypress and I have a complicated relationship – let's just say we've agreed to disagree. And Selenium? Let's be real, it's 2024!). But even if you don't have anything else, in other testing layers – I can help you with that too. Beyond automation, I'm passionate about streamlining processes, optimizing release pipelines, and everything in between. My toolkit includes JS/TS, with a bit of Bash and Python. Currently exploring new opportunities and seeking a product team (sorry software houses/"workforce selling" companies) that values quality as much as I do. Think I could be your missing piece? Let's chat! You can find more details in my original post: https://lnkd.in/dCDdrxb7 Also I know post will have quite traction so I can also link my guide (welcome to expand it) about building QA architecture in companies: https://lnkd.in/gHkEMZsr #qa #automations #work #search #playwright #javascript #typescript #resume #OpenToWork

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back then: No jQuery? u bad. then: jQuery?? why? back then: Yay, PHP, server-side! then: lol you better be making an AJAX SPA! ... And that's where everyone is now: going back to SSR, because this is the new correct. All the times before we were wrong but finally we're right. An excellent developer will be amazed by current technology but not blind by convinction. An excellent developer will both acknowledge the current changes but at the same time look at them with necessary critical viewpoints. Criticism and the search for the better will improve technology, not blind acceptance. You can choose to stay in acceptance or healthy criticism. #webdev #development #programming

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Choosing the right tools and packages can make a big difference in your projects. Here are some of my favorites that I use regularly: 1. ramda 2. generic-pool 3. nestjs 4. kafkajs 5. mongoose 6. luxon 7. opossum 8. jest 9. playwright 10. ajv 11. cdktf 12. commander 13. ulidx 14. ioredis What about you? What are some of your go-to tools and packages that you simply can't do without? #nodejs #softwareengineering

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Glide Community gave me an inspiration for my series, literally last weekend. So here we go: Weekend Workshop #3 - SwiperJS Card Component As a low-code developer, first-time experiences are basically a daily thing for me when I navigate more and more into JS libraries with Glide's Custom Component. I was surprised to see how beautiful SwiperJS' design is when a community user posted a thread asking how to integrate it. Later on, when browsing through various threads, I know how popular it is. For those unfamiliar, SwiperJS is a powerful JavaScript library for creating responsive, touch-enabled sliders and carousels. Its smooth animations and easy customization make it perfect for creating engaging user interfaces. I went to work immediately, talking for a few rounds with Anthropic Claude, went through a bug-catching process where Glide & AlpineJS tried to generate 700 divs at once, before I got to the final result - a clean component, good visual, and I can add just an extra line of code to make it automatically scroll! I can't imagine being able to do something like that literally just last month. It's amazing how quickly we can learn and adapt in the world of low-code development. I'd love to hear about your experiences with Custom Component or answer any questions you might have about this process. Let's continue learning together! Link to code snippet: https://lnkd.in/gBUPj6rz

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3 most important things I'd like every junior (and even mid) developer job application to have and why? Let's start with what I care less about: - Uni degree - it does look nice but promises nothing - Nice CV - Motivational letter - most of them are c/p and generic What I do care about: ✅ GitHub account (or another public repository) showing that you work on your coding skills. The fact that your work is continuous. The fact that you've done something. The fact that you are working to learn to keep your code clean and maintainable. The fact that your commit messages make sense. The fact that you keep your README.mds nice and tidy. ✅ Algorithm skills showing you can think. One might argue that you don't use a lot of complex algorithms in everyday work. However, I value the fact that someone can think about an unfamiliar problem and find solutions for it. And then even work on optimization about it. So, having some solutions to Project Euler problems or Advent of Code tasks is definitely going to be a bonus in my eyes. ✅ Social media posts or (even better) blog posts on technical topics. In my eyes it shows that not only do you understand what you are talking about, but you can also discuss it in a precise voice that a broader audience can understand. In development world this is a rare superskill not everyone has. Talks at conferences or meetups have a similar weight in my eyes. This is what would get you to an interview if you're applying to a job in my team. What would you add? What should I pay close(r) attention to? #softwaredevelopment

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The #Sacrilege in #Software #Development that's really not! I had a very interesting discussion the other day with Gérald Chablowski. We talked about several topics in software development, particularly about #junior #software #engineers and how to train them better. At one point, we both expressed the same thoughts about deleting parts of the #code that do not serve anything anymore, and how many junior software developers we worked with felt it was Sacrilege to do so. And I understand the reason. If the code is there, it must have a purpose, so how can I, a lowly junior developer, dare to delete age-old tested and tried code... Well, I'm here to tell you that it is quite all right. In fact, it is expected. I remember one of my early experiences when I submitted code for a project to a client, with all the #legacy code commented out. My boss could be heard three offices over! I learned then and there, in no uncertain terms that I should never do that again. So don't be afraid of deleting legacy code when you're replacing it. You are expected to do so. That's the only way to keep consistency and clarity in the #codebase! Do you have any stories about legacy code #maintenance? #KeepCoding --------------- Thank you for reading all the way to the end! If you like this content, please 🔔 Follow and 🚀 Share!

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Split everything as possible as you can. I started my career as a developer since 2009. Over 10 years, I developed many applications or modules alone. Despite there were many colleagues in development department, however we didn’t touch other’s code excepting in emergency situation. I always thought and did if someone see my code? or they do it instead later?. Finally I joined to the team working with in same repository first time in 2021, but I didn’t have any difficulty. Because I was already prepared to work with them. 3 Habits made me co-working well in same repository first time. https://lnkd.in/gRiSqKKF #developer #habits #coworking #repository #firsttime #split #commit #feedback

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🚀 Experienced Senior Software Architect, Full Stack Engineer & Senior Engineering Manager Ready for New Challenges! 🚀 📍 Location: I prefer remote work, but I will also consider offers from Rome or nearby. 📢 I'm looking for new, exciting professional challenges! 🚀 🛠️ What I can offer: Skill Set: Over 20 years of experience designing, developing, and driving scalable solutions. My expertise includes microservices, Event-Driven architecture, CQRS, and Event Sourcing. I have extensive experience in software development with Node.js, Java, and C#, as well as in data design and management with NoSQL & RDBMS. Agile Expertise: Certified in Agile Leadership with hands-on experience in Scrum, Kanban, and Scrumban. Skilled in Event Storming for companies and businesses and in software transformation. Proven ability in team leadership, enhancing collaboration and team performance. Workshop Facilitation: Extensive experience facilitating Event Storming workshops and DDD modeling sessions. Proficient in using Liberating Structures to facilitate and improve retrospectives, meetings, and workshops, ensuring they are engaging and productive. Continuous Learning: I am a continuous learner, and learning is a crucial aspect of my career and professional growth. I constantly seek to update my skills and knowledge to stay at the forefront of technology and agile methodologies. 🌟 Important for me: Professional Development: I want to continue working with cutting-edge technologies and methodologies. I seek opportunities where I can contribute to agile transformations, scalable system designs, and cloud-native solutions. 🔍 What am I looking for? I am open to roles in Software Development, Software Architecture, and Team Management. I bring a wealth of experience in engineering leadership, agile practices, and complex system management. While I prefer startups, I am open to considering any opportunity where I can leverage my knowledge and expertise to make a significant impact. I appreciate your support! #OpenToWork #SoftwareDevelopment #SoftwareArchitecture #TechLeadership #Agile #EventStorming

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The story behind my iOS app: InvoiceHub 📲 Like most mobile app developers, I constantly come up with ideas that I want to bring to life. But let’s be honest – about 95% of the projects we start never make it out of the "draft" phase 😅. They just fall by the wayside. Almost five years ago, I felt a strong urge to create an app for customer management and invoicing. Sure, there were already plenty on the market, but I wanted mine to fill a gap that none of the others did, a need I knew all too well from my previous career before I got into development. 👨‍💻 So, I set out on this journey, building the server side with Vapor and the iOS interface with UIKit. In the beginning, motivation was high 💪. The more I worked, though, the more I realized just how big of a project this was turning out to be. I ran into a significant issue: I was treating the app like a learning playground 🤹. Every time I learned a new design pattern I liked, I'd refactor and implement it. If I discovered a cool new framework, I'd refactor again and add it in. Constant experimenting can be exciting but also a bit chaotic! Then there was the second big challenge – motivation spikes (or the lack thereof) 😓. I’d work on the app for a few months, dedicating an hour or two daily (which, let's be real, isn’t a lot for such an ambitious project), and then hit a wall and take a break for months. Developing a complex app solo is tough – mentally and emotionally. So, progress was painfully slow, like a snail’s pace 🐌, as I cycled between bursts of enthusiasm and complete pause over five years. The third challenge was my insistence on having a “complete” app to release on the App Store 🤯. Only recently did I realize that this mentality was holding me back; the key is to work incrementally – step by step, not all at once. And yes, after five long years, my app is finally on the App Store 🎉. Now that it’s live, I feel a whole new kind of motivation and energy to keep improving it regularly 🚀. After release, I learned something important: don’t develop an app unless you’re also a user. Otherwise, who’s doing the QA? 😆 Luckily, a close friend uses InvoiceHub daily to manage his customers, and he’s the one reporting bugs to me. Without him, I’d probably never discover these issues, as I don’t use the app myself! Users rarely take the time to report bugs – they just uninstall and move on 👋. These days, I have about an hour of train time each day 🚄, and I use it to work on my app. That gives me around two hours daily to keep things moving forward, which is amazing progress for me. So, if you’ve read this far, thank you! 🙏 Honestly, I wrote this post mainly for myself to reflect on the journey of InvoiceHub and all the lessons learned along the way. And hey, feel free to download the app, even if just to give me some feedback – I’d love to hear from you! 👇

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Freelancer for 3 weeks... after 3 weeks, still no project... am I doing something wrong? 😤 ⁉ As a freelancer in the QA field, I took the plunge into the world of self-employment without having a first project lined up. Some might say it's too risky... Some might say... it should be easy. So, what have I accomplished in the first three weeks? 🔎 Alongside the administrative tasks and insurances that every freelancer should have, customer acquisition has naturally been a crucial part of daily work. Currently, more than 50% of my time is spent on finding and reviewing projects, as well as applying for them, and engaging in initial conversations and email correspondence for inquiries and meetings. 💡 25% of my time is currently dedicated to further education and continuous learning. This includes attending Freelance Unlocked, which has been very helpful for a freelancer just starting out, providing valuable information. In addition to Udemy courses, I'm also experimenting with new technologies locally. 👨‍💻 Not to forget setting up and maintaining the Fullstack-QA homepage. --> link to the page: www.fullstack-qa.de/en/ 📑 Blogging has also taken up about 15% of my time. Have you discovered the second blog article on the homepage yet? Why shouldn't developers test themselves? If not, take a look and let me know what you think! ---> link to the blog: https://lnkd.in/e_5wr3hS 🗓 I also managed to complete my first 50-hour workweek, and what can I say? When you're doing it for your own business, it's not so bad to work overtime or even on a holiday. 🍀 In the first 3 weeks, I've learned a lot and met many new people... I wonder what it will be like after 3 months? How was your start as a freelancer? Did you experience something similar? How did you manage your time? Let me know or let's discuss! Never forget: Never skip QA! #freelancer #fullstackqa #freelance #qa #qualityassurance #testing

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One aspect of #softwareDevelopment I cared more about than anything else over the years is #accessibility. I have written countless articles - well, 45 so far - on the topic, and last night I decided to make all 45 of them free to read on my Medium site indefinitely. This is my way of helping the world and the web be a better, more inclusive place. Feel free to bookmark this list, share it, reference it. You may credit me, if you quote any of it, but I am not forcing you to. I am making this list public domain (with optional attribution), because I am hoping at least one more person realises the crucial importance of a world that everyone can access, and doesn't just like this post, but does something about it. #accessibilityMatters #webDesign #uxDesign #accessibilityAwareness #webDevelopment https://lnkd.in/ebxH8YKh

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I'll be talking about building future-proof React applications on the 30th of May in Bucharest. Everyone needs to have a set of principles they follow so they don't have to think about every problem from scratch. I'll tell you how I've been building React applications for the last 8 years. What works. What doesn't. What to focus on to make sure you don't have to rewrite your application every year. Because programming is about solving problems. But engineering is about maintaining those solutions over time.

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I once had to experiment and try different payment providers to decide on the best one in a software project. There were 4 identified solutions and it was crucial to provide proof of concepts of at least 3 for the client. Traditionally this would have take months to implement as it would be 3-4 potential projects to develop. As solutions architect I proposed to use a completely #serverless approach to experiment with all 3 different solutions. It was hard to measure exactly but the time saved to setup the infrastructure, servers, provision #databases and write APIs would have been considerably long. Instead with the cloud (#AWS) I was able to deploy functions, a database and an API, which were all serverless, in under an hour. I used AWS IAM for API and database security and several other services to host and deploy the application. In the end, the speed of the proof of concepts was essential and in this industry I learned that nothing is more important. Customers never care about what tools/solutions I have ever used, only how much time it takes and how much it costs. With serverless services, cost was inexistant amd time was super short to demonstrate the different POCs. When you know how to use serverless, it empowers you. ---------- 📪 Join my newsletter "The Serverless Spotlight" to learn about cloud & serverless development. https://lnkd.in/eUaV8xsr

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Adding more people to a late project will speed things up? Odds are, probably not. In collaboration with Mirije Shefiti Kayis, Freelance Developer at German HubSpot Agency maka Agency GbR, we have a look at Brooks' Law! Brooks’ Law tells us that: Adding manpower to a late software project makes it later. Shouldn't more people help it move faster? Here's why not: - New team members require onboarding, taking time away from existing developers. - More people = more communication overhead. - Productivity can take a hit as focus shifts to integration instead of progress. Does that mean this is ALWAYS true? Not necessarily! In my experience, I've seen projects move towards "late" because one developer is trying to juggle parallel work streams. Instead of landing complete work, there's too much work in progress. In these situations, I have seen that you may be able to add members to help with the parallel work streams. But the points from Brooks' Law still need to be considered! Have you had success with adding more people to late projects? Or does it do more harm than good?

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🚀 Last week I had my first PR contribution to the Social Discovery Group team! That PR was about DevEx. Why DevEx so crucial and why it's the best choice for the first PR 👇 Developer Experience is all about quality of interaction with the under the hood of projects within a product. It's not just about software projects and it's not just about developers. It’s about making contributions seamless and stress-free across various stacks. DevEx consists of, but isn't limited to: 🛠️ Infra: dev tools, issue tracking, libs, etc. 😊 Satisfaction: feedback loops, inclusivity, etc. 📈 Value: observability, personal growth, etc. A well-developed DevEx allows new hires at companies like Shopify to jump into a variety of core projects across different tech stacks and platforms within their first few weeks! 🚀 The contribution of newcomers to DevEx brings fresh perspectives on processes that the whole team is already familiar with and comfortable with, even if they are not entirely clear to outside eyes and there is room for improvement. Besides, it's always exciting to do your first PR! 🎉 And it definitely shouldn't be a major task with high expectations. Although I've made this mistake while in a leadership position... My contribution was simple yet important: I introduced Architecture Decision Records (ADR) based on my experience and left a template (shoutout to GitHub) to streamline the process for future ADRs.

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