QA Engineer | Manual + Automation | Transitioning from AAA Game Testing to Full-Stack QA Automation

📍 Bucharest, Romania | 🔗 LinkedIn | 📧 ioana.petrescu.p@gmail.com

I spent 2.5 years as a QA Tester at Electronic Arts, testing AAA live-service games (EA Sports FC, Apex Legends, UFC) across console and PC platforms. I identified and documented 100+ defects, worked in fast-paced Agile sprints, and collaborated with developers to verify fixes early in the development cycle.

What I realized: Manual testing taught me what to test and why it matters. Automation teaches me how to scale that knowledge.

Now I'm transitioning to QA Automation Engineering, building frameworks and test suites that combine my domain expertise with technical skills in Selenium, Playwright, Java, and Python.

🎵 RecordCollector Web — Playwright E2E automation with CI/CD

• 25 automated tests covering search, sort, dark mode, and data persistence
• GitHub Actions pipeline with auto-generated bug reports
• Testing strategy focused on risk-based prioritization

🔧 API Testing Framework (in progress)

• Python + Requests + Pytest for RESTful API validation
• CRUD operations, schema validation, negative testing
• Data-driven tests with CSV/JSON test data

🎯 Selenium Java Framework (planned)

• Page Object Model (POM) architecture
• TestNG with cross-browser testing (Chrome, Firefox)
• Maven project structure for reusability

What I tested:

• Gameplay systems, UI flows, backend-integrated features
• Cross-platform functionality (PlayStation, Xbox, PC)
• Live-service updates (patches, events, seasonal content)

How I worked:

• Executed functional, regression, and performance testing
• Documented defects in Jira with reproduction steps, evidence, and priority assessment
• Validated API-driven features using Postman (data flow between client/server)
• Collaborated in Agile sprints (daily standups, sprint planning, retros)

Why it matters for automation:

• I know what good test coverage looks like (not just "testing everything")
• I understand risk prioritization (what to automate first vs what can wait)
• I communicate defects clearly (critical when automation finds bugs)

Manual Testing        ████████████████████ Expert (2.5 years)
Test Design           ███████████████████░ Advanced
Selenium WebDriver    ████████████░░░░░░░░ Intermediate
Playwright            ████████████░░░░░░░░ Intermediate
API Testing (Postman) ████████████░░░░░░░░ Intermediate
TestNG / Pytest       ██████████░░░░░░░░░░ Learning

Java                  ██████████░░░░░░░░░░ Intermediate (building frameworks)
Python                ████████████░░░░░░░░ Intermediate (test scripting)
JavaScript            ██████████░░░░░░░░░░ Intermediate (web automation)
Git / GitHub          ████████████████░░░░ Advanced
Jira / Confluence     ████████████████████ Expert
CI/CD (GitHub Actions)████████████░░░░░░░░ Intermediate

• Agile / Scrum / Kanban (2.5 years in sprints)
• Test-Driven Development (TDD) concepts
• Continuous Integration / Continuous Deployment (CI/CD)
• Risk-Based Testing
• Exploratory Testing

Currently studying:

• ISTQB CTFL v4.0 syllabus (exam preparation)
• Advanced Selenium techniques (explicit waits, custom exceptions)
• API contract testing with RestAssured
• Jenkins basics for CI/CD pipelines

Completed:

• TestRail Academy Certifications
• IBM Z Day 2025 — AI & Data
• Agile Explorer (IBM SkillsBuild)
• LinkedIn Learning: Selenium WebDriver, Java for Testers
• Codecademy: Python, JavaScript, Git

Most QA automation beginners come from:

• ✅ CS degrees with no testing experience → they can code but don't know what to test
• ✅ Bootcamps with only tutorial projects → they know tools but not real workflows

My unique background:

• ✅ 2.5 years testing production software (I know what breaks in real apps)
• ✅ Agile team experience (I've worked with PMs, devs, designers on 2-week sprints)
• ✅ 100+ defects documented (I understand bug lifecycles and communication)
• ✅ Cross-platform testing (console quirks, PC configs, performance constraints)

Translation: I bring domain knowledge + technical skills, not just code.

Role: Junior-Mid QA Automation Engineer
Type: Remote or Bucharest-based
Stack: Selenium (Java/Python), API Testing, CI/CD
Environment: Agile teams building web applications, SaaS products, or platforms

What I can contribute from day one:

1. Write clear, maintainable automated tests (not just "it works")
2. Design test strategies that balance coverage vs execution time
3. Integrate automation into CI/CD pipelines
4. Communicate defects effectively to developers
5. Prioritize testing efforts based on business risk

Recent Activity:

• 🔄 Fixing and expanding Playwright E2E test suite (RecordCollector)
• 🐛 Auto-generating bug reports on test failures
• 📝 Writing detailed README documentation for all projects
• 🏗️ Building API testing framework with Python + Pytest

I'm actively learning, building, and sharing my automation journey. If you're:

• 👨‍💼 A hiring manager looking for QA automation engineers
• 🧑‍💻 A developer interested in collaborating on test automation
• 🎓 A fellow QA learning automation (let's share resources!)

Reach out:

• 📧 Email: ioana.petrescu.p@gmail.com
• 💼 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ioanapetrescu1
• 🐙 GitHub: You're already here! Feel free to explore my projects and open issues/PRs

• 🎮 Tested Apex Legends (150M+ players) and EA Sports FC (billions in revenue) — high-pressure, high-stakes QA
• 🎵 Built a vinyl record collection app because I love analog music in a digital world
• 🇷🇴 Based in Bucharest, but I've collaborated with EA teams across Europe and North America
• 📖 Currently reading: Lessons Learned in Software Testing by Cem Kaner

⚡ "Good testing isn't about finding every bug. It's about finding the bugs that matter most, as efficiently as possible."

Check out my featured projects below to see my automation work in action! 👇