Irina joined TechQuarter three years ago, bringing not only her skills but also a great sense of humor.
Colleagues describe her as a vital part of the team.
Her keen eye for detail consistently improves the quality of the work. She’s always ready to help and brings positivity wherever she goes. “She’s incredibly supportive. I don’t know what we would do without her,” says Mădălina Blaga.
Outside of work, she enjoys long walks, good music, and dancing all night.
Get to know more about Irina in this month’s Colleague Spotlight.
Bianca Cornaciu [BC]: What do you find most exciting about software testing and what led you to choose this career path?
Irina Poloboc [IP]: I chose my profession completely by accident. Picture this: I was at the university entrance exam, torn between accounting and law (my mom’s dream, of course), and what did your dear colleague do? She made a U-turn from the humanities track and walked straight into IT. Yep — it was a spur-of-the-moment decision that ended up changing my life.
I started my journey in the tech world as a tester, thinking, “I’ll sneak into development eventually.” But plot twist — I actually loved what I was doing! So I thought, why not grow in this direction? Turns out, finding bugs and asking, “Is this supposed to happen?” is kind of my thing.
[BC]: What has been the most challenging project you’ve worked on so far in TechQuarter, and what made it rewarding?
[IP]: The project I’m working on right now, of course! Thanks to this project, I took my first steps into automation testing — and it’s still pushing me to do new and “exciting” things. And by exciting, I mean the kind that give you gray hairs. But to be honest, this is the best project I had so far!
Big shoutout to Tudor — just a reminder, hair dye isn’t cheap, my friend! 😄
[BC]: What would a day in your life as a software tester look like?
[IP]: It depends — if I’m working from home, I usually wake up pretty early, go through all my morning rituals, and then dive into work with a good cup of coffee. I’m lucky to have hardworking teammates who make sure I never get bored… especially after 4 PM.
But if I’m at the office, my day kicks off with coffee and some chit-chat with my desk buddies. Then it’s back to the best team on the planet — who, again, make sure boredom isn’t on the agenda after 4 PM.
Fun fact: In our team, deploying anything after 4 PM comes with a price… and no, it’s not negotiable. (Joke)
[BC]: Looking towards the future, which emerging technologies or trends are you most excited about and potentially looking to work with?
What are your predictions in this area for the next 3-5 years?
[IP]: With the shift-left trend gaining traction, I think testers are going to get involved earlier and deeper into the development lifecycle — not just as bug catchers, but as quality advocates from day one.
Prediction for the next 3–5 years?
Testers will need to wear multiple hats — automation, performance, accessibility, and a bit of DevOps flair.
More teams will embrace test observability and intelligent dashboards to understand what their tests are really telling them.
And yes… I strongly believe AI will be our new teammate — possibly the one who never forgets an edge case.
So yeah, exciting times! And slightly terrifying. But in a good way. 😄
[BC]: What piece of advice would you give to someone aspiring to become a software tester?
[IP]: Be kind, easy and hardworking. Always works ❤️
[BC]: Has any movie, book, or TV series sparked your interest lately?
[IP]: I’m a book worm, my recommendations are:
Circe by Madeline Miller
The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom
Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom
[BC]: Which fictional character (TV/movie/game/book) would make a great software tester — and why?
[IP]: Reginald Kray from the ‘Legend’ movie, just because Tom Hardy is handsome 😄
[BC]: Is there an activity that helps you relax and unwind?
[IP]: Long walks, good music, dancing all night!
[BC]: Fun Fact: Can you share a fact about yourself that not many people know?
[IP]: Niche perfumes. I’m absolutely in love — and my wallet is absolutely not. 😄
