The Faces of Full Circle: Get to Know a Lead Test Engineer
Jaylenne gives us the inside scoop on what it’s like working as a Lead Test Engineer at Full Circle
Tell us a bit about yourself?
My name is Jaylenne Ayala and I’m from Dorado, Puerto Rico (PR). I have been working in tech for a bit more than 10 years, 6 of those in the game industry! I always dreamed of working in the game industry and feel super grateful to be able to make games for a living. I’m a Lead Test Engineer at Full Circle and I'm super passionate about test automation. I currently live in Orlando, FL and love going to all the theme parks here!
What’s your origin story - how did you end up working in the gaming industry, and what brought you to Full Circle?
When I first graduated college I used to apply for jobs in the gaming industry, but never heard back because I didn’t have real experience. I decided to volunteer as a Quality Assurance Tester (QA) for an indie game studio in PR, while working full time as a QA tester for a banking company. A few years later I moved out of the island and kept working on personal projects and at a startup. I eventually got a job at Blizzard Entertainment and gained a lot of experience there. I started working at Full Circle about 2 years ago because the project seemed super cool and fun, and it has been an amazing experience so far!
Can you tell us a bit about what a Lead Test Engineer does?
As a Lead Test Engineer, my job is to basically make sure that the game is stable and our users have the best experience possible. Have you ever played a game that was super buggy? It's not a good user experience! I lead the test engineering team and we work on automated testing that supports our QA team. We automate the boring stuff so they don't have to spend time testing repetitive things.
What does an average work day look like for you?
An average work day for me consists of monitoring our test farm and reporting issues found by our automated tests to different stakeholders. We work closely with the Frostbite team, constantly integrating the latest and greatest new features from the engine. I build tests and tools that help the team test their code before submitting it to our repository as well as providing support with their testing along the way. I also spend a lot of time planning and making sure my team has everything they need to complete their tasks.
What’s one piece of advice you would give to someone wanting to do what you do?
I always tell aspiring game developers one thing: to never give up. I was once a frustrated new grad… it was exhausting to apply to hundreds of jobs and never hear back. Just make sure to keep working on your portfolio and if you have what it takes, the day will eventually come.
What do you want players to know about game development?
I want players to know that making games... is hard! It takes a lot of work and team effort to put together a fun and stable game. Sometimes it is better to take a bit longer to release a game and make sure it's in a good shape than release something that is not quite yet ready.
How do you like spending your time when you’re not at a desk?
I like to spend time watching anime, reading, playing games with friends and also single player ones. I love traveling and visiting my family in Puerto Rico!
