At spriteCloud, our people are at the heart of what we do. In this series, we shine a light on the talented testers who make our work possible and give you a glimpse of what life at spriteCloud is really like. We sat down with Leander, a Test Engineer who joined us this year. From tackling exciting projects to enjoying the flexibility of working across countries, Leander shares his journey with spriteCloud.
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how you became a software tester?
I’m 30 years old and since last year I’ve been living in Real, a small village about 30 minutes outside Valencia, Spain. In my free time I love going for walks in nature with my dog, playing padel, or working on DIY projects around the house.
I actually started out in a laboratory after studying biochemistry. But there I didn’t feel very challenged, most of the time I was just keeping robots running. Next to that, I was also working as a professional beer brewer in the Netherlands, which was a lot of fun but still not quite the career challenge I was looking for. Out of curiosity, I began teaching myself programming, and I absolutely loved it. That’s how I rolled into test automation. Looking back, I’m really happy I made that switch!
What made you decide to join spriteCloud?
Last year we made the big decision to move to Spain, which of course had a big impact on both my personal life and my career. I was working at Sopra Steria and really enjoyed my assignment as a Test Automation Engineer at the Dutch Police. Unfortunately, I couldn’t do that role remotely, so I had to look for new opportunities. I’m very happy that spriteCloud made this possible, and that I now get to work at such a fun, young, and people-focused company!
What does a typical day at spriteCloud look like for you, as part of the Barcelona team?
Every now and then we meet up at the Barcelona office with the Spain team. On those days we keep our calendars fairly open so we have time together. We always make sure to go for a nice lunch, and we spend time catching up about both personal things and the challenges we face at work. It’s always a great mix of bonding and professional exchange.
How has spriteCloud supported you (with flexibility, projects, growth areas such as training, etc.) since joining the team?
I’ve been focusing on learning and growth - I’ve taken several courses, mostly around Python automation and dashboarding, and more recently I’ve been diving into machine learning and neural networks. Right now I’m shifting my focus towards performance testing, so I can continue developing into a versatile test automation engineer.
What would you say to Dutch testers who are considering joining spriteCloud?
spriteCloud is a really great company to work for. Communication lines are very short, so it’s easy to reach out to anyone in the company for help. On top of that, you get the freedom to set personal goals together with your manager, so you can shape your career in the direction that makes you happy. And perhaps most importantly: spriteCloud is truly a people-first employer. You really feel that they want you to be satisfied and to enjoy working here for the long term.
Want to join a people-first company? Email careers@spritecloud.com to explore opportunities.