I have been a tester for roughly 12 years. I have worked in agency and product companies. I originally came from a background of working with very formal and traditional test teams. Formal specifications were given then etc.

During the last 3 or 4 years I became an omega tester (not by choice, it just happened), and I have grown to enjoy it. It's a challenging experience and if you are able to persevere it can turn into a rewarding career. A few years ago, I started studying and teaching myself Rapid Software Testing. I would read through these every day...

• http://www.satisfice.com/rst.pdf
• https://www.satisfice.com/download/a-context-driven-approach-to-automation-in-testing
• https://www.satisfice.com/download/session-based-test-management

I just started reading “Lessons Learned in Software Testing: A Context-Driven Approach”. It has become my favorite book for self-study.

I enjoy experimenting with test tools. I like considering myself as simply a tester, I am proud of it. I personally believe that automation is only a part of a tester’s toolbox, it’s not everything. Testing, designing test strategies, and finding bugs makes me feel like a detective scientist.

Funny fact: I Googled "detective-scientist” and found this...

https://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/nasaandyou/home/detective_en-index.html