QA Engineering: From Exadel Training to Senior Position

We are often asked, “What is the quickest way into IT?” Our answer is always the same: Exadel internships and bootcamps. Today, we’re sharing the story of Daniil Katashuk, who started with us through Basic QA training and grew into a Senior QA Engineer. His experience demonstrates how perseverance pays off and the right opportunity can lead to your dream career.

From Bootcamp to Senior QA Engineer

Four years ago, we chatted with Daniil Katashuk for the first time–right after he finished his Exadel internship and was offered the job of Associate QA Engineer. We asked him where he saw himself in five years. It’s enlightening and exciting to see that his visions for his future really came to fruition, but not without some hard work and determination along the way. He is now a Senior QA Engineer with a high level of English and is still on the #manualtesting team.

Now, we asked Daniil to share insights into his journey—his success story, the role of a QA Engineer, his experience at the Exadel bootcamp, and why he chose manual testing. Keep reading to learn more!

Becoming a QA Engineer

I graduated from the Minsk State Linguistic University and am a qualified translator. However, I’ve dreamed of becoming a QA engineer since I was 14. My mother had a colleague whose son worked as a programmer, and he taught me a lot about testing. But when it came time to choose a university, none had QA training programs. Knowing foreign languages is always helpful.

Over time, I became more and more determined about my childhood dream, so I started looking for opportunities. In my translation work, I had to learn how to be detail-oriented. This experience came in very handy in test documentation.

Exadel Basic QA Training

My way to move into the IT industry was by joining an Exadel Basic QA bootcamp. I passed the accelerator, where we were provided with theoretical self-study materials and learned the basic concepts and Junior QA requirements.

After completing the training and passing the test, I was offered an intern position. The training was a great experience. It gave me a universal basis in the field and taught me the best practices for working in a global company. Right now, I assist in some of the trainings we hold. It’s satisfying — I was just a candidate some time ago, and now I can help others succeed.

I recommend that others take part in all available training. They provide a solid foundation in specific skills. They are a great way to quickly dive deep into new topics, technologies, or hands-on exercises to help you build a practical understanding of the subject.

Senior QA Engineer Role

As a Senior QA Engineer, I ensure software quality through structured testing approaches, risk management, and process improvements. That’s a short description, but my daily tasks are more complex. Some examples would be:

Additionally, I conduct requirement and specification reviews to identify gaps early in the development cycle. My involvement ensures that potential risks, dependencies, and testing implications are considered early in development. A key part of my role is root cause analysis, where I investigate failures through log analysis and database queries, ensuring defects are correctly diagnosed and addressed.

Power of Manual Testing

There are many myths and stereotypes surrounding manual testing. The role of a manual tester is often underestimated, and for years, people have been predicting the demise of this profession. But I think it will remain strong, as nothing can fully replace human judgment and intuition. Luckily, it’s something I genuinely enjoy.

Being a Manual QA Engineer is not just about finding bugs; it’s about ensuring quality at every stage of development. I can influence the product by evaluating requirements and design from a user’s perspective.

I bring this passion even to my hobbies. I play many PC and console games and have reported various bugs to game studios. It’s exciting to see when the fixes are implemented. That’s exactly what I like the most about manual testing — it lets me impact and ensure a better user experience.

Tips for Aspiring QA Engineers

You can take multiple courses, earn dozens of certificates, and complete all the exercises they provide — but if you don’t apply that knowledge in a real-world setting, its value will be minimal. For example, you can take a programming course and practice basic coding exercises, but that alone won’t teach you how to automate tests effectively. Writing scripts in an isolated learning environment differs significantly from dealing with real test automation frameworks, CI/CD pipelines, flaky tests, or debugging failures in a complex system.

The same applies to soft skills. Real improvement comes when you start interacting with stakeholders, handling difficult conversations, or navigating cross-team dependencies in a fast-paced project. No course can fully prepare you to manage risks, prioritize tasks under pressure, or influence decisions based on testing insights.

Remember about learning a foreign language. Right now, a proficient knowledge of English is necessary for job success. You can memorize thousands of words and complete countless textbook exercises, but your progress will be limited without regular speaking practice. True fluency comes from honest conversations, where you have to think on your feet, adapt, and apply what you’ve learned in a natural context.