Over the past nine years, every major shift in software testing has given Thirupathi Teja another reason to learn. Beginning with manual testing and gradually moving into automation and AI-assisted quality engineering, the Hyderabad-based software testing professional has built his career through roles in organizations like Infosys and now Wipro. Along the way, he has contributed to projects for his company’s clients like HSBC, working closely with teams in the UK and the US.
“The biggest lesson I’ve learnt is that you have to keep upgrading yourself,” he says. “Technology keeps changing, and if you want to keep pace with it, you have to keep learning.”
Discovering opportunities beyond manual testing
After graduating in Mechanical Engineering from JNTU Anantapur, Teja entered the software industry. In the early years he was focussed on manual testing, where understanding application behaviour and identifying defects formed the foundation of his work.
As automation became increasingly central to quality assurance, he recognised that staying relevant meant developing new technical capabilities.
The transition, however, was not without its challenges. “Moving from manual testing to automation was the biggest challenge in my career,” he recalls. “There were many issues to solve, but every challenge became an opportunity to learn something new.”
Instead of viewing the shift as a hurdle, he treated it as a learning process. He spent hours exploring online tutorials, studying technical documentation and seeking guidance from experienced colleagues to better understand automation frameworks and debugging techniques.
“Whenever I faced a problem, I learnt from YouTube, spoke to experienced leads and kept trying until I understood how to solve it,” he says.
Over the years, he has built expertise in Tricentis Tosca for functional, regression and API testing, while also working with AI-assisted testing capabilities through Tosca AI and GitHub Copilot. More recently, he has been expanding his knowledge of Playwright, recognising the growing adoption of modern automation frameworks across the industry.
“It’s one of the technologies many organisations are moving towards, so I wanted to understand it in depth.”
Learning through global collaboration
Alongside technical growth, Teja’s career has been shaped by working with international teams.
His assignments at Infosys and now Wipro have given him regular opportunities to collaborate with teams in the UK and the US. Daily discussions around requirements, testing progress and issue resolution have strengthened not only his technical understanding but also his confidence in communicating across cultures and time zones.
“At first, understanding different accents wasn’t easy because people use different expressions and vocabulary,” he says. “But the more I interacted with them, the easier it became. Every conversation teaches you something new.”
The experience also introduced him to different workplace cultures.
“Every team has its own way of working. You observe how they approach problems, how they communicate and how they manage their work. Working with them helped me become more confident.”
Those interactions, he says, broadened his perspective beyond technology and reinforced the importance of adaptability in an increasingly global profession.
Finding satisfaction in solving problems
Whether investigating automation issues, improving test coverage or understanding a new framework, Teja enjoys analysing challenges until a workable solution emerges.
That mindset also shapes the way he approaches professional development.
Rather than waiting for formal training programmes, he prefers taking ownership of his learning, using online resources, technical communities and experienced mentors to strengthen his skills whenever new technologies emerge. Alongside hands-on project experience, he has earned multiple Tricentis certifications, reflecting his commitment to continuously building his expertise.
“Every new technology gives you something new to learn,” he says.
Looking ahead
Currently working on the HRConnect project for HSBC at Wipro, Teja continues to build experience in automation testing while exploring emerging technologies that are shaping the future of software quality assurance.
Outside work, he enjoys going to the gym, while also dedicating time to learning new tools and keeping pace with developments in the testing ecosystem.
Looking ahead, he hopes to build a career abroad where he can apply the experience he has gained working with UK and US teams while continuing to grow through new technologies, projects and collaborations.
Looking back, Teja sees his career not as a series of defining moments, but as the result of consistent effort. Every framework he learnt, every automation challenge he solved and every interaction with global teams has contributed to the professional he is today.
“As technology changes, we have to change with it,” he says. “That’s something I always want to continue doing,” he mentions.