February MoTManc: Costquest of the Planet of the Bugs

Hello you lovely Testers! Hope you are well rested and ready for the first Testing Meet-Up of 2020.
Given the sheer amount of Meet-Ups that there are in the city now, (we are feeling very old) we've decided to try and mix things up a little bit to bring you some different content with some real learning outcomes.

Our goal for 2020 is to put on a quality range of Meet-Ups that include practical help, advice for people looking for work, help for contractors, guidance for those struggling with Mental Health, and a renewed commitment to what it means to be an actual grassroots community. With that in mind, we think it's time for something different. From now on, each Meet-Up will have a talk on Testing as usual, but I'm also dedicated to seeking out motivational, inspirational, and unusual talks on non-Testing related topics.

Being a world class Tester is about being curious, creative, and connected.

In 2020, I want to more of our tech community to feel empowered to bring their full selves to work, each and every day with no judgement and no shame. With that in mind, we've got an outstanding talk on the cost of bugs from Rakesh, and a brilliant talk from Rachael on Non-Neurotypical issues. As always, your feedback is essential to move forward with the group and ensure we are delivering content that meets your needs, both professionally and personally.

Huge thanks to Searchability for sponsoring!

Rakesh Ghodke - Head of Quality Assurance at Degree 53
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rakesh-ghodke-619a1b2/

Rakesh is an accomplished and results-driven professional with more than 20 years’ experience in business development, cost reduction, quality assurance, and productivity improvement. He has a proven track record of improving product efficiency by testing product quality through innovation.
He demonstrated ability in handling complex issues, rendering best services, and offering creative solutions to achieve business objectives of an organisation. Possess skill to build, lead, and manage teams as well as create, launch, and facilitate improvement programs.

The Power of Change: Learning to live as a “weirdo”
Rachel Morgan-Trimmer
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-morgan-trimmer-3231b36/

Being called a weirdo from an early age but never really understanding why, I talk about how I finally learnt to embrace being different. I weave my personal story with fascinating facts and unique insights into the world of neurodiversity and mental illness. It’s not all about me though – I use my experience working as a coach to help you understand and embrace your differences too.

“Absolutely brilliant! Humourous, compassionate and thought-provoking.”

“Incredibly moving.”

“I learned and laughed so much.”

“Absolutely wonderful.”

“Easily the best talk of [the conference].”

“It was the best I have seen [at the conference].”

“So compelling and funny and emotional. Absolutely superb.”

See you there!

Love the MoTManc team,
Darryl, Dimitri, Gabbi, Richard, Chris and Amy