Employee Success Story: From Customer Success to Personal Growth

This time we sat down with Arthur Papanyan, our Lead QA Engineer, to get his take on what it’s like to work at Ucraft and successfully travel up the corporate ladder. He shares his experience on leading a team at Ucraft, what the company environment is like, and other key points - e.g., how to keep the QA team organized and flexible. 

Let’s hear his take on things! 

1. So, after three years at Ucraft, can you pinpoint the moment you realized you made the right decision to choose to work here?
   Frankly, I believe that point arrived before Ucraft actually hired me. During the interview process, I realized that there were so many things to learn here. To top it all off, people were ready to share their knowledge with me. I knew right then and there, during my first interview, that this was the place I wanted to grow as a specialist.
    

2. Tell us a bit about your current role - how has it evolved, and how do you see it evolving in the future?
   Currently, I am the QA Team Lead. As a team, we are automating every action that ensures product quality. When I started working as a quality assurance (QA) specialist, I discovered that manually checking and verifying such vast product functionalities took up too much time, potentially becoming impossible in the future. So, I started developing my skills related to software automation. And after about a year of learning and practice, I made the switch to software automation.
   
   Currently, tools and techniques in the automation field are endless. Moreover, they are also regularly updated - new tools are entering the market, which means that everything is about mastering new skills, staying up-to-date with trends, and automating manual work. What concerns my role, I definitely see myself growing as a better specialist and even better team lead. As they say, there is always room for growth!
    

3. How would you describe the work environment at Ucraft in three words?
   I can do it in four words: Forge for infinite possibilities!
    

4. Do you have a specific memorable accomplishment at Ucraft?
   Many memorable things have happened so far, but I would like to mention two of them in particular. 
   
   My first memorable accomplishment is when I got promoted to Head of Ucraft QA. However, one of my proudest achievements has to be when I was able to demonstrate the working architecture that I planned and promised to develop from the beginning. 
    

5. How do you define success? What qualities can make a person successful at Ucraft?
   Let's define two types of success: short and long-term. 
   The first is about setting the right goals and committing to achieving them. And long-term success is essentially built on completing several short-term tasks - that will make you successful in the long run.
    

6. Is there anything you wish you knew before you started working here? 
   I guess if I knew at least half of these IT fields, that would have saved me a lot of time. 
    

7. As a close-up, share with us a fun fact about you that nobody knows!
   I used to work as a baker some time ago - only for two years, though :)