Are there any jobs out there?

[norrahe]

Do you have any suggestions for technical volunteering.

I don't think collecting clothes for Oxfam is my scene.

tim

Have a look on the web. I volunteered with my local cats protection. I'vebeen doing it part time over the last couple of years but offered more full time, since I was sitting around doing nowt.

Try the VSO.

[ABSTRAX]

Market for Test Managers is absolutely dead... and from what I can see there are a massive amount of Test Managers available with cracking CVs across all blue-chip clients

The plus side is that as soon as the market does pick up and new testing work comes through, Test Managers will be at the front of the queue...

From experience, flexibility is your best friend... if you are prepared to ship yourself off to wherever the jobs are then you're going to putting yourself at the front of the line... local skills are preferable for the reasons mentioned, but if you're working in a high-tech or specialised area, then no client is going to find the skills it wants on their doorstep

[rootsnall]

Probably not so good a tactic for the young uns but I am approaching this stint on the bench as a chunk of my retirement but taken 15 years early when I'm not so old and knackered. I'll just have to work it later in more lucrative times.

Between looking after kids, doing up an old house with a large garden and some reskilling I'm sure I can keep myself amused for 2009 if things are really that grim.

[guzzaloid]

First post on this forum and hopefully it will offer some hope! I have been contracting in Test Anayst-Test Manager positions for approx 4 years and have had plenty of holidays and breaks in between - went a bit crazy last year and did Thailand, Egypt, Jordan and Australia - all month long breaks from the office

I came back Jan 2nd and the phone was quiet but picked up like crazy the second week in and have now landed a nice 6 month contract, I even had the pick of 3 offers which was surprising in this climate - so there is hope out there!

Im not outstanding technical wise - im an old school tester of the Usability/UAT/Functional ilk but I do have 10 years in the game and how else can I say this without offending anyone, erm, I dont come across as a typical IT geek and I think that helps in interviews as this is the 5th on the spin that has been successful, I can only imagine how many similar people there are in the interviews so maybe its the glowing skills and experience that gets you the interview but its the personality that nails it!

I understand its not all as cut and dry as my experience but thought I would offer a different stance on things.

[norrahe]

First post on this forum and hopefully it will offer some hope! I have been contracting in Test Anayst-Test Manager positions for approx 4 years and have had plenty of holidays and breaks in between - went a bit crazy last year and did Thailand, Egypt, Jordan and Australia - all month long breaks from the office
.

Can you PM me with details of the agencies you are using, My OH is a test engineer and is on the lookout.

Thanks

[sog]

I work as a permie (.NET stuff), never worked as a contractor before. Just checking out the forum and seeing what I can learn from experienced people that hang out here

I imagine that when we talk about the market, it's all dependent on the specific area, right? I know, the whole economy is bad, but in terms of contract opportunities, do you think certain areas are doing better then others? What's your opinion on .NET development demand, for contractors?

[Svalbaard]

Can't be that great then

Twat! Yes you.

[ShowMeTheMoney]

Anyone else have any luck? The market for Test Managers is the worse I've ever seen of late...................the war chest is nearing the bottom, very worried now. Perhaps its time to sharpen up my old bar man skills

[original PM]

Can anyone explain to me what a test manager actually does

When we test here it works like this

1) Developer tests his/her code to make sure it works (e.g. it throws no programming errors up)

2) The next step is for a team of people from the business to perform UAT - which actually forms part of the training.

The main issue with this method is that it does not allow for any load testing and so can cause issues if it is rolled out for a large number of users. But you can often extrapolate systems loads and scale the hardware up.

The manager in this case of the testing is the stakeholder, the BA and possible the PM.

When would you actually need a dedicated test manager - is it for brand new products which are due to be released into the market?

Just wondering really.

[Rookie]

Can anyone explain to me what a test manager actually does

When we test here it works like this

1) Developer tests his/her code to make sure it works (e.g. it throws no programming errors up)

2) The next step is for a team of people from the business to perform UAT - which actually forms part of the training.

The main issue with this method is that it does not allow for any load testing and so can cause issues if it is rolled out for a large number of users. But you can often extrapolate systems loads and scale the hardware up.

The manager in this case of the testing is the stakeholder, the BA and possible the PM.

When would you actually need a dedicated test manager - is it for brand new products which are due to be released into the market?

Just wondering really.

I'm not too sure but I'd say the quantity/complexity/type of tests that needed to be carried out would determine whether you would need a test manager or not.