Kari Kakkonen gave a presentation on how to become a multitalented tester. She discussed the various roles and skills needed, including domain knowledge, technical skills, people skills, and testing skills. She outlined different backgrounds that testers can come from and routes into testing such as education programs. Kari then shared her own journey of taking on multiple roles over her career such as test automation specialist, trainer, consultant, and now also being an author. She concluded by providing tips for continuous learning and trying new things to expand one's skills over time.

1. How to become a multitalented tester
Kari Kakkonen,
Dragons Out Oy & Knowit Solutions Oy
At Testing Assembly 2022
Helsinki
Sep 21, 2022
© Dragons Out Oy 1

2. • ROLES
• Knowit Solutions Oy, Director of Training and Competences, Lead Consultant,
Trainer and Coach
• Children’s and testing author at Dragons Out Oy
• TMMi, Board of Directors
• Treasurer of Finnish Software Testing Board (FiSTB)
• ACHIEVEMENTS
• Tester of the Year in Finland 2021
• EuroSTAR European Testing Excellence Award 2021
• ISTQB Executive Committee 2015-2021
• Influencing testing since 1996
• Ranked in 100 most influential IT persons in Finland (Tivi magazine)
• Great number of presentations in Finnish and international conferences
• TestausOSY/FAST founding member.
• Co-author of Agile Testing Foundations book
• Regular blogger in Tivi-magazine
• EDUCATION
• ISTQB Expert Level Test Management & Advanced Full & Agile Tester certified
• DASA DevOps, Scrum Master and SAFe certified
• SPICE provisionary assessor certified
• M.Sc.(Eng), Helsinki University of Technology (present Aalto University),
Otaniemi, Espoo
• Marketing studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison, the USA.
BUSINESS DOMAINS
• Wide spread of business domain knowledge
• Embedded, Industry, Public,
• Training, Telecom, Commerce,
• Insurance, Banking, Pension
SERVICES
• ISTQB Advanced, Foundation and Agile Testing
• A4Q AI and Software Testing
• Knowit Quality Professional
• DASA DevOps
• Quality & Test process and organization development,
Metrics
• Agile testing, Scrum, Kanban, Lean
• Leadership
• Test automation, Mobile, Cloud, DevOps, AI
• Quality, Cost, Benefits.
Kari Kakkonen
twitter.com/kkakkonen
linkedin.com/in/karikakkonen/
Dragonsout.com
© Copyright Knowit Oy | Trainings 2
5.10.2021

3. A Nordic powerhouse
for digital solutions
3,800+
/ Professionals
6 countries
/ Sweden, Norway, Finland,
Denmark, Germany and Poland
4 business areas
/ Solutions, Experience, Connectivity and Insight
468.0 MEUR
/ Net sales
Nordic ESG champions
/ Clear vision to accelerate the sustainability agenda
47.5 MEUR
/ Adjusted operating profit (EBITA)
[CONFIDENTIAL] KNOWIT
21.9.2022 3

4. ISTQB GLOBAL PRESENCE
• Number of exams
administered: over 1,1 million
• Number of certifications
issued: 806,000
• In 130 countries

5. TMMi for test improvement in all kinds of testing,
including agile and DevOps

6. About the book ”Dragons Out!”
•Educating children about testing
•Author Kari Kakkonen
•Illustrator Adrienn Széll
•Text and illustration rights Dragons Out Oy
•A free presentation for teachers under
Creative Commons –license at the book
web site
• Translated to many languages!
•More info: www.dragonsout.com
© Dragons Out Oy 6

7. Agenda
• Skills needed in testing
• Backgrounds of testers
• Routes to testing
• Routes within testing to
become
multitalented
• Kari’s journey
• Tips
• Q&A
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8. What is a
multitalented
tester?
• Knows many things
• Can do many things
• Is in balance?
© Dragons Out Oy 8

9. Why be a
multitalented
tester?
• To secure yourself in the job market
• To benefit the team in the best way
© Dragons Out Oy 9

10. Skills needed in
testing
© Dragons Out Oy 10

11. The four cornerstones of testing skills
Tester
Domain
Tech
People
Testing
© Dragons Out Oy 11
Finance
Public
Defense
Exploratory
Automation
Test Design
Java
Robot Framework
Puppet
Listen
Motivate
Trust

12. Wildcard – the fifth cornerstone
Tester
Domain
Tech
People
Testing
Another
IT role
© Dragons Out Oy 12
Scrum Master
Main User

13. Testing skills
provide the
basis
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How much?
e.g. coverage,
heuristics,
techniques
What?
e.g. test types,
test levels,
quadrants
How?
e.g. exploring,
checking,
automation
When?
e.g. processes,
plans,
strategy

14. Why?
i.e. asking
questions
© Dragons Out Oy 14
You need to
understand the
Big Picture
What is the
Product?
Who are the
Customers?
Why do we Test?

15. Attitude
© Dragons Out Oy 15
Curious
Systematic
Patient
Courageous
Learning
Holistic

16. Domain skills overlap
© Dragons Out Oy 16
Banking
Insurance
Pension
Public
Operator
Network
technology
Devices

17. Technology skills build up,
for both Test Automation Solution (TAS) and
Software Under Test (SUT)
HTML
Python
GIT SQL
Java
CI/CD
Android
Windows
Robot
© Dragons Out Oy 17

18. The next technology or
another next thing
is easier to learn
© Dragons Out Oy
18

19. People skills
Lead Communicate Report Talk
© Dragons Out Oy 19

20. Other roles
support
tester role
© Dragons Out Oy 20
Business
Scrum master
PO
User
Developer

21. Backgrounds of
testers
© Dragons Out Oy 21

22. Education
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IT studies Self-learned
IT / hobby
Other
university
studies
Any other
profession

23. Backgrounds
Tester
Business rep
Main user
Programmer
From outside IT
Straight from university
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24. Routes to testing
© Dragons Out Oy 24

25. Education
at the job
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Induction to company
Pairing with a senior
Tester programs
Complementary programs
Career path learning – life long education

26. Transformatio
n programs
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From other IT roles to testing
From other professions to testing
Women transformation programs
IT studies enhancing programs
Unemployment programs

27. Routes within testing
to become
multitalented
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28. Switch a role or add roles
Tester Exploratory tester Another domain
Another
technology
Test automation
Test type
specialization
(performance,
security, usability)
Coach Trainer Speaker Author
Scrum Master Scrum PO Agile Coach DevOps Coach
© Dragons Out Oy 28

29. Learn more
• About what is needed for your new role
• About what interests you
© Dragons Out Oy 29

30. Is there a
number of
skills to be
multitalented
?
• The more skills and roles you handle, the more
you are multitalented!
• You are already multitalented, you just need to
realize what is your unique combination of
multitalentedness
© Dragons Out Oy 30

31. Kari’s journey
© Dragons Out Oy 31

32. A journey with changes
• Test automation tool specialist & testing sales and presales
• Testing Trainer
• Testing Consultant
• Test Assessor
• Test Manager
• Test Process Developer
• Test Director
• Agile Coach & Trainer
• DevOps Coach & Trainer
• AI and testing trainer
• Test author
© Dragons Out Oy 32

33. Coach
Consultant
Sales
Undercurrents
• Test automation tool specialist & testing sales and presales
• Testing Trainer
• Testing Consultant
• Test Assessor
• Test Manager
• Test Process Developer
• Test Director
• Agile Coach & Trainer
• DevOps Coach & Trainer
• AI and testing trainer
• Test author
© Dragons Out Oy 33

34. Tips
© Dragons Out Oy 34

35. Continuous learning
• Read about testing and things around it (tech, leadership, agile, DevOps,
change…) – use a GoodReads shortlist
• Add to your CV continuously – another experience, another course, another
certificate, another book, another technology
• What can I learn this year?
• Create a vision of what you could be
• Alternative visions
• Identify things that can be intermediate steps
• Try new things – have courage to fail, then try again
• Get feedback from all directions – how can you be better
• Be friendly – a smile is returned, a favor comes back to you
© Dragons Out Oy 35

36. Any questions?
Order the books:
https://www.dragonsout.com/p/order-dragons-out-book.html
Follow and share the book project:
• https://www.dragonsout.com
Social media
• Kari https://www.linkedin.com/in/karikakkonen/
• Dragons Out https://www.facebook.com/DragonsOutOy
Ask questions:
kari.kakkonen@dragonsout.com
© Dragons Out Oy 36