Review article of the third BelQA community meetup
Today, in the era of remote work and online events, organizing live IT conferences is becoming especially important. Personal meetings allow participants not only to exchange experiences and ideas, but also to build strong professional connections that are difficult to form in the format of video calls. At conferences such as BelQA, participants have the opportunity to discuss pressing issues in an informal setting, ask direct questions to speakers, and expand their social circle through practical networking. This creates a unique atmosphere of mutual support and knowledge exchange, which helps professionals grow and adapt to the rapidly changing IT world.
Third BelQA meetup [Белка] community took place on September 15, 2024 in Minsk, in the innovation space Innodom. The event brought together testers and IT specialists for six hours of immersion in professional presentations, practical sessions and live communication. The meetup program featured two streams: one with an emphasis on technical (hard) skills, the second on the development of personal (soft) competencies. Eight speakers touched on the most current topics in the field of testing and developing skills for stress management, motivation and career growth.
Let us present to your attention a short overview of this event, which took place in the format of live communication among representatives of the IT community.
The event program included 8 reports on various topics:
Victoria Rotsyk — report on the topic “Stress under control: How to become a manager of your condition” (soft-stream).
Alexey Yaroshenko — “Maximalism, the desire to redo everything and 3 more deadly sins of a newcomer to the team” (soft stream).
Anastasia Strizhenok — “Stop working too hard: maintaining motivation with the help of neurobiology” (soft-stream).
Nikita Karpuk — “HR & AI: How artificial intelligence is changing the search for IT specialists (and how a QA engineer can use it)” (soft stream).
Polina Bronovets — “Server response codes. How they will help you localize the bug (using the example of REST API and WebSocket)” (hard stream).
Ruslan Papina — “Testing Pyramid: Strategy for a Quality Application” (hard stream).
Margarita Shlyakhtitseva — “Testing monetization of mobile applications: In-app purchases” (hard stream).
Lyudmila Borshchevskaya — “ISTQB: what? how? why?” (hard stream).
Let's look at each of the reports in a little more detail in order to convey the main essence of what the participants could hear from the reports presented, and also introduce their authors to a wider audience.
Victoria Rotsyk: “Stress under control: How to become a manager of your condition”
Victoria Rotsyk, an experienced QA lead with more than 6 years of experience and mindfulness coach, spoke about how to manage stress at work and in everyday life. In her report, she drew attention to the difference between eustress and distress, where the first is a positive stress that helps in solving problems, and the second is a destructive process that can lead to burnout.
Victoria shared useful stress management techniques such as meditation, mindfulness and breathing exercises, including STOP and RAIN techniques. She also explained how important it is to learn to notice the signs of stress and take timely steps to reduce it. The report was useful not only for professional life, but also for personal development, showing how stress can become a motivational resource rather than a hindrance.
Alexey Yaroshenko: “Maximalism, the desire to redo everything and 3 more deadly sins of a newcomer to the team”
Alexey Yaroshenko, a specialist with 5 years of experience in the field of machine learning, of which the last 3 years he worked at VK, where he trained large language models and helped implement anti-spam systems. In his report, Alexey discussed common mistakes of newcomers in development teams, such as the desire to redo everything, keeping silent about one’s difficulties, trying to foresee all problems in advance and fear of voicing ideas.
He stressed the importance of asking questions, learning from mistakes and developing communication skills. Alexey also shared his experience of working in a team, explaining how problems can be effectively solved with minimal rework and processes can be improved. The report was especially useful for beginners seeking to better integrate into the team and avoid common mistakes
Anastasia Strizhenok: “Stop working too hard: we support motivation with the help of neurobiology”
Anastasia Strizhenok, Project Manager with 6 years of experience in IT, worked on more than 35 projects and 3 products. In her speech, she talked about the importance of maintaining a balance between work and rest to avoid burnout. Anastasia explained how motivation mechanisms work from a neurobiological point of view and why constantly working at the limit of one’s capabilities can negatively affect one’s health and career.
She shared practical tips on how to stay motivated through short breaks, exercise, and other recovery techniques. This report was especially useful for those who strive for high productivity, but at the same time want to maintain personal well-being and avoid professional burnout.
Nikita Karpuk: “HR & AI: How artificial intelligence is changing the search for IT specialists (and how a QA engineer can use it)”
Nikita Karpuk, an HR specialist with more than 14 years of experience, spoke about how AI is changing the processes of searching and hiring IT specialists. He explained how modern AI tools such as ChatGPT and other systems help analyze huge amounts of data and find candidates based on key skills and experience.
In his talk, Nikita also emphasized the importance of optimizing resumes and profiles on platforms such as LinkedIn to meet the requirements of modern algorithms. He gave advice to QA engineers on how to use these tools to increase visibility and competitiveness in the job market.
Polina Bronovets: “Server response codes. How they will help you localize the bug (using the example of REST API and WebSocket)”
Polina Bronovets, a QA specialist with 4 years of experience in web and mobile development, spoke about the importance of correctly understanding server response codes for localizing bugs. In her talk, she explained how different response codes—from informational (1xx) to server errors (5xx)—help testers effectively identify and resolve problems.
Polina also drew attention to the features of working with WebSocket and REST API, shared practical examples and recommendations for using tools such as DevTools to analyze server responses. The report was useful to everyone who wants to better understand the interaction between client and server
Ruslan Papina: “Testing pyramid: Strategy for a quality application”
Ruslan Papina, a developer with over 15 years of experience in software development and team management, provided an overview of the testing pyramid concept and its importance in ensuring a quality product. He talked about the need to separate tests into unit tests, functional tests, integration tests, and end-to-end tests, explaining how the right testing structure can reduce release time and increase application stability.
Ruslan emphasized that automation is the key to successful releases, but it is important to properly balance between different levels of testing to avoid unnecessary complexity. The report was useful for those involved in both manual and automated testing on projects.
Margarita Shlyakhtitseva: “Testing monetization of mobile applications: In-app purchases”
Margarita Shlyakhtitseva, Lead QA with more than 6 years of experience in testing IT products (Fintech, Gamedev, Utility and tools) shared her experience in testing monetization of mobile applications, in particular in-app purchases. She talked about different monetization models, such as freemium, subscriptions, and in-app purchases, and what common problems arise when testing them.
The report provided examples of tests for checking subscriptions, trials and purchase restorations, as well as possible bugs that users encounter. This report was useful for specialists working with mobile applications, where monetization is an important part of the business.
Lyudmila Borshchevskaya: “ISTQB: what? how? why?”
Lyudmila Borshchevskaya, a specialist with more than 14 years of experience in testing, spoke about the importance of ISTQB certification for testers. She explained that ISTQB is an international certification standard and provides testers with structured training that helps deepen knowledge and improve skills.
In her report, Lyudmila gave examples from her practice and gave advice on preparing for ISTQB exams, which was useful for both beginners and experienced testers who want to confirm their knowledge.
After completing the official part of the meetup, the participants took part in organized networking, which was aimed at developing effective communication skills and presenting themselves in a professional environment. This was a practical block where everyone was asked to create their own “elevator pitch” – a short self-presentation – and make at least five useful contacts for further communication. Networking helped participants not only better understand the value of networking at professional events, but also practice group dynamics. The event ended with an after-party, where in an informal atmosphere the participants continued the discussion, exchange of ideas and strengthened the established connections. This meetup was an excellent opportunity not only to gain new knowledge, but also to expand your professional network.
This is how the 3rd BelQA meetup turned out [Белка] community – full of useful reports, live communication and valuable insights. Participants had the opportunity not only to deepen their knowledge in the field of testing and IT development, but also to develop important soft skills, such as stress management and effective self-presentation. Organized networking and after parties helped create a friendly and open atmosphere where everyone could exchange experiences and make new useful contacts. We are looking forward to the 4th meetup, new speakers and new participants ready to share their knowledge and ideas in the IT field!
If you live and work in the IT field in Belarus, are directly or indirectly related to quality assurance, and would like to join the BelQA community or follow our upcoming activities, then you can find us at this link https://www.linkedin.com/groups/12890208/
