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With a BSc in Economics from Brown University, Kenneth’s career began at the Federal Reserve Bank but he soon found that his true passion was in Tech. Combining his meticulousness, a natural knack for understanding how systems work, and training in software QA, Kenneth is ready to take on the world of testing, particularly Fintech. Here’s more about Kenneth:

 

Q: Tell me a little about the professional background.

Kenneth: After I graduated in 2018, my first job was in wire transfers, at the Federal Reserve Bank here in Boston. Then I wanted to transition into Tech so I became a Tech apprentice at Resilient Coders, which is a nonprofit organization here in Boston. 

That’s where I learned how to first code HTML, CSS, and build websites for people, and also launched my own kind of small freelancing business. Since then, I’ve been freelancing for different clients and I also teach English online. And that’s what took me here to the QualityWorks Bootcamp.

 

Q: Why did you want to go into Tech, coming from an Economics background?

Kenneth: One of the reasons I wanted to transfer into Tech is because it’s a growing field with lots of innovation, especially in Boston. There are lots of startup companies, Health Tech, Education Tech, and more excitingly,  FinTech.  I thought, why not? Further down the line, I would like to work for a FinTech company, to combine both of my skills in tech and in finance.

 

Q: What has your experience in the program been like so far?

Kenneth: I think, my thoughts about being a QA, are a lot more grounded now. There are a lot more quantifiable through the different lectures we’ve gone through. I think walking through different test case scenarios and bug reports has been really enriching for sure. That’s the type of experience that you wouldn’t really get from a regular college classroom. I’m doing a little bit more than that here, which is good. And it’s exciting because it feels like we’re going to be soon ready to just join the field and start testing.

 

Q: How do you think that background in Economics is preparing you or could prepare you for a career in Testing, or in Tech, in general?

Kenneth: I would say the major thing is being attentive to detail. Just being able to catch the little things and being meticulous with my work. It’s something about both development and working at a bank that is a really important skill to master. And I think they’re very relevant in the testing fields because you want to be able to catch anything before it goes out to deployment before it goes off to the end-user right?

That skill keeps on coming back. For example, we had an assignment where we had to test a mobile application and I kept on going back and forth, just kind of playing around, playing around and trying to break different things, just to make sure. It’s very interesting to me that I could have a job dedicated to seeing what I can break. The level of attention to detail that comes naturally to me and just being meticulous and efficient are some skills that I’m taking from my prior experiences, but I’m applying them in a different way in testing.

 

Q: Can you tell me a bit about some of the freelance tech projects that you have been working on?

Kenneth: Right, so one of the projects I’ve worked on before was creating a STEM tutoring site for this young tutor, an alumnus of my university who wanted to build his presence online. 

Right now, I’m working with a young entrepreneur, who wants to work with, young mothers or, soon to be mothers, by providing a doula matching service. So essentially matching mothers who all would like to hire a doula, to work with them throughout the labor process and maternity. And match them with the right fit according to their area. I’m helping to build out this match-making platform, and help with reorganizing the databases that she has. 

 

Q: Outside of what you shared about your love for FinTech, what are you passionate about? What are some of your passions? And it could be career-related, or it could be otherwise?

Kenneth: I would say most recently it would be Social Justice. Ever since I joined the Tech field, I became more familiar with Twitter, and I’ve realized how powerful it could be as a tool, both for promoting your business, all the way to promoting a social movement. So I’ve been interested in the intersection of tech and social justice and social change, especially in major U.S. cities. So, that’s something I’m pretty passionate about. I’m very interested in being able to have a real, positive, and tangible impact on the greater community around me.

 


 

About the #HireDiverseTesters Program

The #hirediversetesters program was created by QualityWorks to address the tech “pipeline problem” – the belief that there aren’t enough qualified BIPOC professionals to occupy roles in tech, specifically in testing. We’ve found the diverse talent and now we’re looking for companies who are committed to increasing diversity on their tech teams to join us.

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