“It’s important for me to expand my horizons”
Mor Korem, QA Lead at Webbing, talks about being a software tester with a degree in optometry, speaking at industry conferences and performing as a stand-up comedian, what’s the best part of working at Webbing and why she personally values its products.
From optometry to software testing, from software testing to stand-up comedy
I am from Israel, originally from Ramat Hasharon, but now I live in Petach Tikva.
My older sister is a surgeon and when I was a child she was in medical school. This is what drove me to pursue optometry at the age of twenty and get a bachelor’s degree from Bar Ilan University. During my third year, I realized optometry isn’t for me, and after getting my degree I took a professional course in quality assurance.
In ten months, I completed the course and started working in a small software company. After two years of practicing, I passed the international certificate ISTQB exam and went to work at one of the banks as an outsourced employee. Once I had established my professional knowledge and felt I could do more, I began looking at big hi-tech companies, trying to find a job as a software tester. I got a position with one of the leading insurance software developers, where I met Ortal, future product owner at Webbing. We worked together for four years, and I really enjoyed it. Since then, I’ve worked as a QA engineer at an AI transcription and captioning solution provider and as quality lead at a small startup.
In a way, my job has become a hobby: in the past five or six years I’ve been involved in software testing conference activities around the world. I’m not a major contributor, but I spoke at a few events in Europe and gained a lot of additional knowledge and information that I could implement where I work. In addition, I was an ITCB board member (the Israeli team of the international ISTQB certificators), I was active in “Women in Testing”, volunteering at different conferences and creating new content for them.
For a few years my small hobby was performing as a stand-up comedian at Open Mic Nights, until Covid put a stop to it. It was very rewarding because you get immediate feedback whether you’re funny or not. It also gave me an understanding of what I can deliver in a limited amount of time, and how to deliver my ideas in software testing, too. Since then, I took up other hobbies, such as learning to play the violin, that allow me to express my creativity in other ways. And I love to spend time with my bunny. She’s a free-roaming bunny that lives in our house, and it’s amazing how affectionate bunnies can be.
Joining Webbing to make a difference
As I mentioned, I worked at a small startup that unfortunately had to downsize due to funding. I was at home after the layoff when Ortal reached out and asked if I was interested in hearing about Webbing.
It was a chance to be exposed to a field that I had no knowledge of, and that’s what I was really looking for. Best of all, it gave me the opportunity to contribute all the knowledge that I’ve gained over the years learning from many talented people across the globe. There were a lot of things I could bring to the table and there was a great group of people to join, so I was really excited to join Webbing.
I felt I was coming at the right time to build a foundation of policies and flows for our software testing. When you join a company too late, the foundation is already there and it’s hard to make a difference. It was a great opportunity and I felt very welcomed to lay this foundation, this is definitely the best part of working at Webbing for me.
Working in a unique team
I think that everything has its unique DNA, and good teamwork depends on the uniqueness of the team. Each one of us in the R&D department has specific traits that create some harmony between us. The confidence of my software tester team is based on these traits, too: we do a good job channeling our workload so that everyone can shine.
We learned a lot about our customers and their needs and integrated it into our testing and processes to make sure we are preventing all sorts of faults and issues instead of responding to them. Knowing that in the long run we make a big difference is motivating. Looking back five months, we are in a different place today, so the accumulated achievements that we have realized make me feel fruitful.
Every single day I’m continuously learning. I love it! It’s very important for me to be able to expand my horizons while creating new insights and bringing additional value to the place where I work.
And it’s not only me. When there was a need in load testing, and neither I nor the other guys in the team had prior experience or knowledge, we took a course on Udemy and did it. Also, my team participated in the online software testing conference. That’s what I really like about working at Webbing. None of my previous employers invested so much in our professional development as software testers.
My work allows me to do something else that I love – teaching others. I have onboarded two testers on my team, and I love being of assistance and some guidance for them when needed.
What I like about being at Webbing
In general, I love planning, it has always been my favorite part of the testing activities. There is a lot of planning and working with data here at Webbing, so I get to do that.
The atmosphere is very good, too. I mean kitchen talks, night outs with the team or the whole department, I really like that we get to have beyond-work relationships. I like our ping-pong matches, but not because I play myself: I don’t have to beat someone or be beaten, I can watch and judge.
My life and work are very well-balanced here. I get the time for things that are important to me, and when I’m really needed, they know they can count on me.
What I also personally like about Webbing is the fact that it solves real problems which I, for one, experienced every time I traveled. The need to be connected, and the complexity of it – I can totally relate to the problem and the solution, so I value our product.
And finally, I like the dynamics of it. Webbing is something new every day.
