Samuel Mullin, Qualitest’s Senior Manager for the Central region, is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and Civil Air Patrol member. He loves being outdoors and tries to stay in the mix when it comes to civil services.
Samuel has been in technology since the 80s and wrote his first program in 1983. This was the moment when he decided that he liked that type of work. Since then, he has been consulting for over 20+ years, which seems to work well for him.
Samuel started his technical career as a programmer. However, that grew into a test automation career. He created his own consulting business and had that for 12 years within the testing space.
He says, “Back in the day, I used Rational testing tools along with many others.”
However, his current skills include using J-Meter and specialized tools like Triangle Microworks toolsets.
“I currently have been working in the utility space and have worked with testing remote telemetry units using specialized testing toolsets. With that, I have now started working within the project management and leader roles for projects. This has helped me broaden my skills within the leadership space,” adds Samuel.
While discussing how his university/school experience helped him in his career, Samuel pointed out that he has gone to both college and specialty schools. So, he believes there are many ways to educate oneself and tune it to what one’s role is.
He adds, “As your career grows, it is imperative to continually pursue some form of education so that you are up to date on the newest technology and methodologies.”
His tryst with testing happened within the test automation space when working with the Deloitte Consulting Group many years ago.
“It was kind of dropped in my lap and I saw the need from there. I then stayed in that field for many years,” adds Samuel.
Just like most experts in the testing domain, Samuel also has high hopes for automation. He believes that automating the testing as much as possible will help the reusability of technology, thereby speeding up the testing cycle.
While speaking about his journey at Qualitest, he highlighted that he had just started this journey with Olenick, which Qualitest later acquired.
Samuel is delighted that he got to be an integral part of this journey.
“Qualitest has given me some new opportunities and I plan on using them as my career continues to move forward. It has helped me broaden my skillset and move forward in my career,” adds Samuel.
Samuel would advise everyone in Qualitest to find a way to continue to grow, and in case they need any help, they should reach out to someone within Qualitest.
He further adds that all Qualitesters should try and use the tools that the company has to offer.
He says, “As the company grows, it continues to add many resources that you can use to grow your personal career and contribute to the growth of the company.”
Samuel believes that the biggest perk of working in software testing is having a great professional network.
He says, “It seems that it is a small world when talking about the IT career. You seem to run into some of the same people.”
As per Samuel, with proper networking, you can demonstrate your skills while also helping them grow in their career along with yours. So, it’s a win-win if you use the right strategy.
Samuel cannot think of one person.
He says, “The reason is that I feel that every person, leader or not, brings some areas of inspiration. So, I take some parts from different leaders.”
Samuel believes that hobbies are a large part of one’s life.
“Some of my hobbies include building computers from scratch. Most recently, I was building crypto mining machines. I also like the outdoors, so I go camping on weekends and go hiking when available. I also have created koi ponds in my back yard to give our family a place to relax,” Samuel adds.
Being a veteran and an outgoing person, Samuel’s hobbies are not just limited to his personal sphere. His hobbies extend into community service also.
“I also am a search and rescue resource for Civil Air Patrol (Air Force Search and Rescue, Air Force Auxiliary). We search for missing people and lost aircraft. This keeps me active in the community and the military,” Samuel says.
Regarding his favorite book, Samuel says, “I actually don’t have a favorite book or podcast. I listen to very few podcasts at the moment. Favorite books are usually problem-solving books.”
