As mentioned in an earlier post, listening to podcasts is one of the most beneficial forms of studying I do. click here to read my post detailing how I get through around 3 hours a day of studying
Below is my pick of the bunch…
TestTalks – By Joe Colantonio
My number one software testing podcast with currently over 200 episodes (March 2019). Each episode is roughly around 40 mins with various thought-leaders from the world of software and testing. Almost every podcast contains valuable information. Topics covered include Automation of all kinds including web and API testing. Discussions around agile testing and DevOps. Insights into various excellent software testing books and online courses.
The discussions are fairly high-level so can be appreciated by anyone who been a tester for even a short time. I will soon be releasing a post with my best episodes; a fairly difficult task as they are all pretty awesome.
The best way to listen to all the podcasts from the beginning is to download the TestTalks app – available on ios and android.
How to Program with Java Podcast – By Alan Page
There are many topics within programming that a Software Tester, (even a technical one) can get by barely understanding, this could be due to the fact that we do not release production code or our code is not often checked. Having said, that topics such as multithreading and generics are extremely powerful. This podcast covers topics ranging from variables to generics. I find Alan page to be extremely well spoken and he breaks down difficult topics in a simple and easy to digest manner. 40 minutes into an episode about multithreading and I began questioning why I had avoided it for so long. More benefit can be had if you were to follow and do the exercises Alan provides, I didn’t do any but still found the introduction to all these topics massively beneficial.
Let’s talk about tests – By Jem Hill
Explores the field of software testing from a very general sense – which is a good thing. The host takes you through her journey as a tester, covering the steep learning curves many testers face as well as the anxieties associated with being a tester in a highly technical and fast-paced industry. I definitely found myself empathising with the host on many occasions.
Testing Bias
Contains some thoughtful discussions around testing. Less practical than TestTasks but still extremely insightful. Currently, around 20 episodes available, each being around 30 mins. Not the best place to start if you are looking to improve your understanding around test automation. I feel some of the topics can feel a little abstract with only a few takeaway points per episode.