Let's be honest. A vast majority of work in IT is doing something that was already done before. Maybe just tweaking it to your needs. Whenever we run into a problem, most of us ask the community for support (and end up being asked if we checked the documentation).
It is certain that without knowledge sharing, the digital revolution would not be as fast as it was. Luckily the very best test automation engineers are still really eager to share their knowledge.
We prepared a database of the best and most popular software test engineers and their social media profiles for you to follow.
Active Test Automation Experts
Joe Colantonio - the founder of TestGuild. We mentioned his contribution in our articles on podcasts (here) and blogs (here). He runs TestGuild for over 13 years now and he helped a whole generation of QA engineers to become true pros in the craft.
The guild has influenced countless testing careers. A definite must have on this list since Joe posts valuable resources on a daily basis.
LI - https://www.linkedin.com/in/joecolantonio/
X - https://twitter.com/joecolantonio
Keith Klain - a true senior, his 20+ years of professional experience in top level quality assurance saw him working for companies on 3 continents. His combination of working for small and the largest companies provide an unique insight into both technical and business aspects of programming and testing.
He started his own podcast for testers, but unfortunately after a few episodes it folded. On the plus side - he recently returned to posting content on his YT channel.
LI - https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithklain/
YT - https://www.youtube.com/@KeithKlain/videos
Alan Richardson - The Evil Tester. He became a consultant for developers in 1999. You read that right, he started to encourage beginners in the last millennium !!! If that is not hardcore, I don't know what is.
His content includes various courses dedicated to every level of software development. You will find web testing 101 next to advanced Selenium. Maybe he is not as active on LI as the two before but he posts at least on a weekly basis.
LI - https://www.linkedin.com/in/eviltester/
X - https://twitter.com/eviltester
Luke Liu - Luke is unique, he's not only a well established test automation architect, but also a freelance trainer. If you are a software engineer looking for mentoring or other forms of interaction, this is the place to go.
We love his approach to automation - "automate, automate, automate". He has got a talent to ask the proper questions so he and his viewers can gain new knowledge.
LI - https://www.linkedin.com/in/lukeyuliu/
X - https://twitter.com/TestingWithFun
David Williams - first of all, a great and acknowledged speaker during more than 300 conferences. His experiences cover mainly API testing and exploratory testing, but he is passionate about mental health as well. He is one of the contributors to the Ministry of Testing.
LI - https://www.linkedin.com/in/thetestingmuse/
X - https://twitter.com/TheTestingMuse
Richard Bradshaw - speaking of the Ministry of Testing, we can not miss the CEO of the place. Richard aka The Friendly Tester has also switched his focus from actual automation testing to conference speaker and educator.
He will give you free and paid content based on his years of experience. His 10K+ watchers list can't be wrong. If you want to write proper code - Richard is a great person to watch.
LI - https://www.linkedin.com/in/FriendlyTester/
X - https://twitter.com/FriendlyTester
Other Automation Testing Experts
There are a nice bunch of experts who are not posting on LinkedIn on a regular basis but still are worthy creators. Especially if you are just getting started with your testing career.
You will find top testers and managers below, almost always with 10-plus years of experience. In some cases you may subscribe to their newsletters for extra content or find ways to collaborate with them.
Kristel and Marko Kruustuk - this married couple from Estonia have founded Testilo - a software that helps to deliver app solutions to various businesses. Although they do not post often, it is good to know that Kristel is switching her focus into helping other women in tech to thrive.
Kristel LI - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristelviidik/
Marko LI - https://www.linkedin.com/in/markokruustuk/
Helena Jeret-Mäe - an inspirational story for those who are switching their careers into IT. Helena (another Estonian on this list) has transformed from an English major to a great QA. This mix enabled her to be successful not only in coding and testing but also in coaching fellow testers.
LI - https://www.linkedin.com/in/helena-jeret-m%C3%A4e-643b4339/
X - https://twitter.com/HelenaJ_M
Angie Jones - there is a bit different story with Angie. She does post and she posts a lot! With almost 30K watchers she should be on the top of our list. This would probably be the case if she did not switch her focus more into Developer Relations.
Her testing background is still visible in a variety of contexts. She still contributes to the Test Automation University and her website is full of content on various programming languages - Java and Python included.
LI - https://www.linkedin.com/in/angiejones/
Website - https://angiejones.tech/
Sigurdur Birgisson - last but not least we have the quality leader from Ikea (which should state that his services are cost effective and easy to assemble 😃 ). Sigurdur does not post much, but he is visible on many IT meetups. His expertise goes beyond testing - he provides speeches on agile methodologies and some aspects of devops as well.
LI - https://www.linkedin.com/in/siggeb/
X - https://twitter.com/siggeb
Why to Follow Software Testing Experts Anyway?
Well, imagine that you are a beginner piano player a few hundred years ago. The only teacher that you had access to was probably local and rather poorly qualified. If you had a chance to learn from Bach or Chopin (usually for free), wouldn't you take it?
These are the experts who will explore and digest a new automation framework or present a new automation strategy. They test and manage testers of the highest quality. They share their knowledge for free most of the time. This is of the highest value both if you are a tester or a business owner.
Happy following!
Oh PS - if 10 is not enough, we found a list of 125 testers to follow 😃
