The geek in question: Shayna Swanson

The job title: SDET, Distributed Application Server

I understand you used to be a recruiter?
Yep. I started as a recruiter at Microsoft in 2005. I interviewed mostly technical candidates, and years of hearing how excited they were about their technical roles got me really excited about it too.

I have a degree in business management and HR management, so my background is definitely non-technical. But when I heard about Microsoft's Test Apprenticeship Program, it seemed like the perfect opportunity so, I applied. I was accepted and after nine months of on-the-job training, now I'm a tester working on Dublin.

Why testing?
A new challenge. HR and Engineering are two different beasts and I was ready to be challenged in a different way. Testing really fit what I was looking for. Also, it's multifaceted. I like to be creative and have variety in my work. With the testing you get to code and also write out plans. You also get to really think about the product in a different way: "how and why would the user do this, or how would even a hacker try to attack this?" You get to put on different hats and be different people.

Was it intimidating, making the switch from a non-technical role?
Yes and no. Yes, because you're around all these super-smart people who have experience in what they're doing. But then no, because at the beginning the understanding was that I didn’t have a CS background so the initial expectation was just for me to learn — so it's kind of easy to live up to that one.

What was it like, telling your recruiting manager that you were not only changing gigs, but completely changing worlds?
My manager knew I was technically inclined, so when projects came up that involved more technical aspects of the applications we used in HR, they were assigned to me. During a mid-year career discussion, I brought up doing the Test Apprenticeship Program and my manager was totally receptive. Career development isn't just about climbing the ladder at Microsoft — it's about the opportunity to work on a lot of different things too. Where else can you have a paying job and get trained with completely new skills at the same time?

What's the biggest different between working in HR and working as a tester?
It's lot noisier in HR! You're talking with people all the time, that’s your job. On the technical side of things, people can get heads down and focused on their own thing.

So, first recruiter. Now tester. What's next?
Currently, I’m focused on ongoing test training and trying to learn and contribute as much as I can. I just made the move so I’d like to get really good at this position first. …Weeeeell, actually I have written a design spec for a project and right now am working on some test plans, so the whole PM side of things might pique my interest down the road.

Links please? • Microsoft's Test Apprenticeship Program • Microsoft's Dublin project