Quality Assurance beyond day-to-day work; discovering Siarhei’s creative approach to life may electrify you!

Untitled Kingdom’s three core values are transparency, quality, and family. So, we’re proud to introduce our family members. Get to know Untitled Kingdom’s QA Specialist - Siarhei! Read what he found the most exciting about the two years he spent in the company. Find out what his profession was before becoming a QA engineer. Learn what he found in Georgian landscapes, why Jacques Cousteau is his big inspiration, and what made him learn blind typing on his laptop.

What do you find to be the most exciting aspect of Untitled Kingdom?

I can easily list at least 3 things:

Firstly, I’m working on cool medical projects that truly help people.

Secondly: Great relationships with all the team members. We’re collaborating while always respecting and supporting one another.

Last but not least, the excellent feedback culture. I’m regularly receiving high-quality feedback, which helps me in both work-related and personal growth.

Before working at Untitled Kingdom, what was the most unusual or interesting job you’ve ever had?

I used to be a site electrical engineer. I worked for a company that was, among other things, supplying the power to technological equipment in the production line assembly. Once, we were powering a furnace on a construction site to heat the annealed glass to ~600 degrees. And I’ve got to say, to this day I find the whole process of glassmaking weirdly exciting. 😶

💡A cool electricity fact. Although it depends on the specific technological process, an average furnace consumes around 7000 kWh a day (!). So it’s a consumption of approx—50 flats per year (SIC!).

When not at work, then most likely in the wild. Since he’s working in a company specializing in developing digital health solutions, Siarhei recognizes the true quality of self-care and getting lost in nature.

What drew you to QA? Have you always worked in this kind of role?

Two years ago I decided to change my job. I knew I wanted to be a part of the software creation process and wanted to work on projects that positively impacted people’s lives. So I completed a course of manual testing and started learning Java programming language.

Shortly after that, I received an invitation for an interview with Untitled Kingdom members: Greg (Head of Operations) and Hugo (CTO). I still remember how impressed I was when talking to them - they were incredibly friendly, competent, and straightforward.

Then, I received a few clever recruiting tasks that were quite tricky and did not have an obvious solution. When solving those tasks, I actually had to focus and put my mind into it, and.. it worked! I was hired!

Now I’m involved in the product development process right from the beginning, and I must admit: it’s very exciting!

Untitled Kingdom’s QA Team at work. I’m sitting at the right top “corner.” No, it’s not the “who will find the bug first?” competition, but if I’m smiling, it’s because I’m winning.

What do you find the most challenging at Untitled Kingdom?

The biggest challenge for me is... to keep up with other UK members! In the QA team (best team, what’s up? 🙌), all of us are very ambitious and highly qualified. I know I can’t let myself slow down when it comes to learning new things. It’s an excellent place for my growth.

💭 A cool mental trick. You will appreciate your achievements much more when working in an environment where you actually need to overcome challenges to reach your goal. At least that’s the case for me!

Do you have any hobbies, go-to weekend activities, or long-term passion projects you’re working on?

I really enjoy hiking. Some time ago, my brother and I traveled to Georgia and trekked up some exceptional hills. I’m sharing some of the breathtaking views below:

Scenes from the Lukaprou family trip to Georgia

Currently, I chose to climb on a different kind of mountain, that is, being a parent! ⛰️But I hope that when my daughter gets older, we will get to go on a good hike together. 🤞

If you could meet anyone in the world (dead or alive), who would it be and why?

I would love to meet Jacques Cousteau - a French explorer, filmmaker, scientist, naval officer, innovator, writer, photographer, and researcher - who passed away in 1997.

He studied the sea and all forms of underwater life and put all his global research into many works (and forms!) of art, including books and documentary films.

I learned about his work in my childhood, and it made a huge impression on me. I was always incredibly excited to watch his documentaries, read his work, and be part of his sea adventures on a Calypso ship.

What’s your favorite line of dialogue from a movie?

Long story short: the list of my favorite films is endless. So instead of quoting dozens of them... I’ll highlight a movie in which words do not rule the roost.

“November” (2017) is a film based on Andrus Kivirähk's 2000 novel “Rehepapp ehk November.” It’s a tale of magic and malice in folkloric rural Estonia inhabited by personified Black Death, spirits, werewolves, and the devil himself. It also contains erotic content, so - viewers’ discretion is advised!

It’s gorgeously shot (some of the black and white shots gave me goosebumps!), and I loved the atmosphere it created. I’m posting some of the best frames below and highly recommend giving “November” a try!

Scenes from”November” (2017)

How do you describe your work personality vs. your home life personality?

Work? Home? Well, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and a constant home office mode, the line between work and private life has definitely blurred. So I think that instead of separating my work and my home life personalities, it would be better to describe my “worme” nature. 😉

Let’s start with the first character trait: warm and caring. I care about my family and friends, and I care about my work and my dear UK mates.

Second: creative. I try to be innovative when testing solutions and when transforming into a 5-star Michelin chef at home.

Last but not least: I consider myself as a focused person, always motivated to do my best. Sometimes it is challenging to stay this way (home office + 5-month-old baby girl = do I need to say more?). But luckily, I’ve developed skills such as blind typing on my computer with one hand while rocking my sleeping daughter with the other.

What was your most challenging yet the most rewarding project at the Untitled Kingdom? Did you use any specific tools to overcome the challenge?

Once I was working on a project that required me to write automated tests for a mobile application (using iOS and Android smartphones) while using a Bluetooth device controlled by Arduino setup.

It took me a good couple of months, but… I got to both write tests in Java and prepared a hardware setup using my electrical technology knowledge, so, needless to say, I fully committed myself to the challenge. And I’m glad to say it paid off!

Get to know us (even) better!

If you want to work with sharp, knowledgeable, and multitalented QA specialists like Siarhei… Let’s work together! Thank you for reading this article. Feel free to share it with your peers!