My Brain Remains My Most Invaluable Testing Tool: Q&A with Prashant

While classmates secured job offers, he couldn't land one interview. Now, he leads a testing team, speaks at international conferences, and champions philosophies that highlight the value of testers in the age of AI.

Prashant Hegde spent his 12th grade playing Counter-Strike instead of attending lectures. Facing criticism and an uncertain future, he stumbled into a testing course out of desperation, knowing almost nothing about the field.

Then came the interview that changed everything, one that required both testing skills and gaming expertise. Life came full circle, and the passion everyone called his "distraction" became his profession as a Game Tester.

Today, he leads the testing team at MoEngage, a leading marketing engagement platform, and discusses how software testers can hone their critical thinking skills.

Here's what we explored together:

• How Counter-Strike skills unexpectedly launched his testing career
• Why junior testers fail at bug advocacy and how to fix it
• The shift from technical jargon to business impact language
• Skills that matter most as AI transforms the testing landscape
• His strategic approach to pairing human intelligence with AI efficiency
• Why soft skills will be our greatest career differentiator in the AI age

Let's dive in!

1. How did you get into software testing?

You may recognize me as a testing leader and international speaker today, but I was vastly different in college. I was all about "Games over Grades." Instead of lectures, you'd find me playing Counter-Strike.

My 12th-grade performance caused me to miss the cutoff for all on-campus placements. As my peers secured multiple job offers, I couldn't manage to land one interview. My future was uncertain, and I was receiving a lot of criticism, which made me question myself.

A friend mentioned a testing course, and I immediately latched onto it as a desperate path to a job, despite knowing little about the field. My entry into software testing was completely accidental.

Many warned me that testing was a stagnant career with no room for growth. While those misconceptions daunted me, I held onto a core belief: “Pour your heart into your work, no matter what the work is, and success will inevitably follow”.

Then, in a twist of fate that changed everything, I was called for an interview that required not just testing skills, but expertise in gaming.

I aced it!

Life came full circle, and the passion that was once my biggest distraction became my profession, securing my first job as a Game Tester.

2. What's your current role, and what does a typical day look like?

I currently head the Testing team at MoEngage, a leading marketing engagement platform trusted by thousands of global brands, where I oversee the planning, coordination, and execution of all testing activities.

I develop testing strategies that empower engineering teams to deliver high-quality software, proactively identify gaps in our current state of testing, automation, and processes, and implement improvements.

My day is a mix of tactical oversight and strategic influence. I collaborate with testing leaders on ongoing projects, actively tracking progress and resolving impediments. As the chief QA representative, I attend key meetings with engineering leadership, ensuring quality is a core consideration in major decisions.

My leadership philosophy is centered on empathy and empowerment. I don't manage my team; I mentor and coach them. I grant them the autonomy to make their own decisions and foster their growth by assigning challenging tasks.

I value the freedom I get in this role to explore new ideas and make a real difference to the company's success. I really enjoy helping others grow. It's incredibly satisfying to watch my team members exceed what they thought they could do.

3. What's a common mistake you see junior testers make, and how can they avoid it?

Poor bug advocacy.

Important issues are often overlooked or dismissed because they can't overcome the "get it done fast, quality later" mentality prevalent among many engineering leaders. Testers often present bugs as purely technical flaws, neglecting to articulate the business risks involved.

Testers need to change how they talk about bugs. Instead of just saying what's broken, explain why it matters. Approach every serious bug as a sales pitch and make a strong case for fixing it by looking at the business risks.

Your language must shift from technical jargon to addressing customer pain and business costs. Instead of saying "Function X is broken," say: "This bug impacts 40% of enterprise customers, causing critical downtime, potential contract penalties, and revenue loss".

This change in language highlights the cost of inaction and drives prioritization of important bugs in any fast-paced setting. It's easier said than done, but it comes with experience and deliberate practice.

4. What skills do you think are becoming more important for testers seeking career growth today?

Testing is a multifaceted role. To truly excel, testers need a wide range of skills. First, they must have a testing mindset (think critically, have an eye for detail, and never settle for something mediocre). They also need to be skilled in areas like scripting, automation, cloud technologies, CI/CD, API testing, and more.

AI products bring unique testing challenges and opportunities. Unlike deterministic software, where outputs can be precisely anticipated given specific inputs, testers must evaluate multiple factors beyond functionality, such as data quality, bias, performance, and ethical considerations.

Soft skills are more important than ever in the age of AI. Our humanity will be our greatest career differentiator. While AI handles the mundane, it's our soft skills like communication, emotional intelligence, adaptability, and meaningful collaboration that make our roles indispensable.

5. Has AI influenced how you work? If yes, how?

AI is quickly changing how we work. Using AI wisely boosts how well we work, but leaning on it too much can stop us from thinking for ourselves.

My approach is to strategically pair human intelligence with AI efficiency to achieve better results.

I use AI in several areas, such as reviewing requirements, creating test cases, speeding up scripting and automation, creating diverse test data, analyzing data, checking documentation, and even conducting some fuzz testing.

6. What are your favorite testing tools and resources?

My brain remains my most invaluable testing tool, uniquely equipped to generate original ideas, foster out-of-the-box thinking, and forge creative connections.

AI is great at spotting patterns, automation, generating text, and a lot of other stuff, but our human brains excel at critical thinking and solving problems. The ability to think critically, identify risks, synthesize information from diverse sources, problem-solve, and apply creativity still surpasses what any tool or AI can achieve.

Testers do more than just validate functionality; we anticipate user needs, uncover risks and usability issues by understanding how people behave, and champion products that customers will really love.

My favorite resources are Books, Blogs, Courses, Conferences, and Communities (2B 3C). They help me stay current on emerging technologies and learn from other influential leaders in the testing space.

That's a wrap!

Key Takeaways:

• Unconventional paths can lead to remarkable careers when you commit fully
• Bug reports need business context, not just technical details
• Frame critical issues in terms of customer pain and revenue impact
• Human skills like critical thinking and creativity remain irreplaceable
• AI should amplify human intelligence, not replace independent thinking
• Mentoring and empowering teams create more impact than managing them

Thank you, Prashant, for sharing how gaming distractions became professional advantages and why our humanity remains our greatest asset. You can connect with Prashant on LinkedIn to discuss testing leadership and career growth.

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