The Buggy Bash (poem)

The Buggy Bash

By Thomas Bedran

I was working in my cube late one night
When my eyes beheld an eerie sight
For a bug from the code, began to rise
And suddenly to my surprise

He did the bash, he did the buggy bash
The buggy bash, made the computer crash
He did the bash, a requirement clash
He did the bash, costing customers cash
He did the bash, he did the buggy bash

From where my computer sat in Colorado Springs
To the servers it connects out in Bunker East
Defects came from their hidden code
For me to find with my testing probes

He did the bash, he did the buggy bash
The buggy bash, made the computer crash
He did the bash, a requirement clash
He did the bash, costing customers cash
He did the bash, he did the buggy bash

If you’ve ever seen a bug before
That’s what testing a program is for
Don’t be afraid, don’t run and shout
Test them all and get the defects out

Get down with the buggy bash
Get down with the buggy bash

Getting My Start in Testing

I would like to imagine that the God of Testing visited me in my dream when I was younger and told me I was chosen at birth to save humanity from the impending doom of buggy software. I may even one day recall it like this but since the internet is only for truths, this is how it really happened. And sadly, every bit of this is true.

I became interested in computers once I saw the movie Hackers. Internet was still in its infancy. I didn't get my own computer until I was in middle school. I wonder what would have happened if I had gotten one when I was younger. I was lucky to be able to take a programming course in 9th grade. It was BASIC. I did some programming at home and coded up little games. Trivia and such. Then I learned C as I progressed. My first full game was a text based RPG on a TI-83+ calculator that I did on the bus to and from school.

Early on I decided I wanted to be a video game developer. I loved video games and computers and programming cam naturally to me. It made sense.

I went to school for a degree in computer science at Florida Tech. I got a work/study job with Dr. Cem Kaner in his lab: the Center for Software Testing Education and Research (CSTER). I did various research projects and took classes in software testing. I didn't know at the time that FL Tech was well known for studies in testing.

In the summer of 2006, I went to a job fair and looked for an internship in development. I spoke with a representative for Progressive, handed him my resume, then went home to pray... and study. Ok, I played video games.

I got a call back and the phone interview went well. I was invited to visit Cleveland for an interview in a QA role. Wait! QA? I don't want to be a tester. I want to be a developer. I want to program. I am sure they were mistaken. I figured I would correct them once I arrived.

When I showed up and walked into the dining area for a large gathering of future interns, I learned that there were 5 students interviewing for 3 tester positions and about 100 students interviewing for about 10 developer positions. I am sure my numbers are off, but I knew math well enough to know that I needed this job and my odds were better as a QA.

Well, I got the job. I had a great summer and learned a lot. I got to program anyway (QTP automation scripts) and was a part of a small subset of people that could do both testing and programming well.

And here I am.