How often does it happen that you plan for certain things in life, but life has seemingly other plans for you? Such is the case with Audry Maulana, Qualitest’s Search Language Specialist from Porto, Portugal.

Born and raised in Jakarta, Indonesia, Audry is a nature lover and hiking enthusiast. Audry never shies away from learning new things and trying new experiences.   

“When I was 22, I decided to move to Istanbul, Turkey to pursue my Master’s. In 2016, I got a job offer in Portugal and it has been my home ever since. I am not much of a party person, but I enjoy nature and I am always ready to hike dozens of kilometers every weekend,” says Audry.

Areas of expertise

Audry is a living testament that your degrees and subject of study in the university may very well vary from what you may want to do later in life.  
 
Describing himself as a chameleon, Audry says, “My Bachelor’s and Master’s are in International Relations, focusing on the European Union and its role towards developing countries. Before Qualitest, I was a Project Manager for research and innovation projects (artificial intelligence, self-driving cars, nanotechnology, etc.). Now I am a happy Search Language Specialist for Qualitest’s Lisbon site.”  

Software testing and the Qualitest journey

Audry started working for Qualitest in 2020, right in the middle of the global pandemic! He was pretty unsure about how well he would do at a job like this, given that he had no prior background in IT.  

He gleefully reminisces how he landed the coveted position at Qualitest. 

“During the lockdown period I had a lot of time to think about what I wanted to do and voila! Qualitest sent me a message on LinkedIn asking if I am interested to join in as a Search Language Specialist. At first, I wasn’t sure that I would be able to fit in, since I didn’t have a solid background in IT. But, during the interview process, I got intrigued and convinced that I could do a great job. Almost two years later, thanks to my great team leads and fantastic colleagues, I can proudly say that I am thriving in Qualitest,” he remarked.  

On being asked what he loves about the Qualitest culture and what keeps him going every day, he says, “I love the challenges! Every day we are working on new and interesting obstacles that are so satisfying to solve. It is also cool that we can peek behind the scenes at some of the most advanced software and apps that we use almost daily.”

Advice to the future generation of Qualitesters

Audry has some sage advice to share with his younger peers. 

“Don’t be afraid to make mistakes! We should be curious to try new things that we have never done before and if we make mistakes along the way, take them as a chance to learn and re-learn,” he says.

Pride Month   

The essence of Pride month is celebrating oneself without any inhibitions or limitations. Qualitest is at the forefront of LGBTQIA activism and supports members of the community, continually spearheading the message of diversity and inclusion.  

Audry calls out to everyone, reverberating the same message of inclusion.

In his heartfelt comment on Pride month, he says, “I came to terms with my own sexuality when I reached my mid-20s. I always knew that there was something different about myself. But, since I came from a much more conservative society that pressurizes and often persecutes LGBTQ+ people, I feared being myself. I had to bury my feelings and hide who I really am because it was too risky to love people who I want to love.”   

It was not until Audry moved to different countries that he started to open up to his friends and family. He mentions that it was scary and nerve-racking at first, not knowing how they would react. But by then, he had arrived at a point where he was quite tired of hiding his identity. He strongly felt that it was time to reveal his authentic self before the people he cared about.  

“I understand that coming out is a process that will take some time. It is not always rainbows and unicorns since I still get the occasional homophobic remarks from time to time. But I believe that against hate, love will always win. And I am very grateful that people who matter to me accept and embrace me for who I truly am,” explains Audry.  

Audry sees Pride month as a celebration of everyone’s uniqueness, resilience, and place in the world.

“Pride Month is also a time for gratitude and reflection. It is a time for me to thank the courageous trailblazers who marched and fought for the incredible progress the LGTBQ+ community enjoys today. It is also a time to reflect on my personal responsibility towards my community and the younger LGBTQ+ generations. To ensure that they will have the same rights and opportunities that I have today.,” he adds.  

In the spirit of Pride month, he recommends everyone to read the truly inspiring ‘The Queer Bible’ by Jack Guinness, a book that provides insight into the LGBTQ+ culture and history. 

Life beyond software testing

Audry loves cooking and finds this hobby highly therapeutic.  

“When I’m in the kitchen I can disconnect myself and really concentrate on what is in front of me. I usually cook Indonesian or Southeast Asian dishes, but recently I have been venturing out in baking and trying different quirky flavored homemade ice creams (my olive oil ice cream is going to be the star of this summer),” he exclaims.  

Audry feels that food is a powerful medium to bring people together. So, he took his passion for cooking to the next level when he ventured into organizing Pop-up kitchens in Porto. Starting in 2016, Audry and his partner set up around 35 pop-up kitchens where they could serve around 30-40 people each time.  

Qualitest is proud to have Audry on the team and wishes him the best in all his endeavors.