Meet the Tallizen: Lola

Lola Kuzniatsova is a senior QA engineer at Tally based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. As part of the quality assurance (QA) engineering team, she currently supports both the mobile and web platforms. Her team focuses on improving the quality of Tally’s products and supports Tally’s mission to make people less stressed and better off financially by ensuring every new product and feature works as it should.

On a daily basis, Lola collaborates with the engineering, product and design teams to assess new product features, review acceptance criteria and build custom testing strategies to make sure Tally provides the best experience possible. In her role, she changes shoes with our members every day and acts as their voice in the product development process.

Her career journey wasn’t a straight line. About three years ago, she was a biochemist working in a lab. Much of the work was done using methods that had been used for decades. There wasn’t much innovation when it came to testing. It was this realization that sparked her desire to make a career switch to tech.

Unlike the bioscience industry, which is not, unlike academia, tech was a fast-paced, innovative and ever changing field where you constantly learn and grow. She specifically pursued a path in software QA testing as it required a similar skill set to be successful, which she had already honed for years in the lab: determination, attention to details and critical thinking.

Though the switch wasn’t straightforward or easy, Lola says, “I think it's never too late to try something new and to succeed in it if you put enough effort and hard work.”

A day in the life of a Tallizen

Walk us through a day in your life. What does a typical workday look like for you?

After I wake up around 8am and make a cup of coffee, I go through my emails, Slack messages and plan for the day. A couple times per week, we have early morning stand-ups. Once that wraps, I jump into work: testing the app, updating documentation, having online conversations with my team members and with other teams in the company. A couple days a week, my day ends with a virtual yoga session courtesy of Tally.

What has been the highlight of your time here at Tally so far? 

I'm proud of how the QA team has built a workflow process over the time I've been here, and how it adapts and evolves as things change. I've also enjoyed being a part of multiple projects that eventually made it into production and are now helping our members pay down their credit card debt, which is hopefully changing their lives for the better.

What do you love about you do?

I do really enjoy when applications work properly and I enjoy being a part of the team that provides the world with awesome products that are as bug-free as possible :)

I also love new challenges and not just following a routine process every day. So despite the stereotype that QA has for being mundane work, I find that it’s quite the opposite.

What is one of the most impactful things that you have learned at Tally?

Every employee's voice is valuable and we can always make impactful suggestions that will be listened to and not ignored.

Tallizens offline

What would you be doing right now if you weren’t in your current role?

Wildlife conservation specialist somewhere in Australia.

What’s the next item on your bucket list?

The one I'm working on right now is to run a half marathon.

Tell us about one of your favourite vacations

Backpacking trip to Europe with my husband a few years ago. We spent four weeks visiting more than 10 countries.

Tell us something that people would be surprised to know about you

I was born in the U.S.S.R. and after its collapse, I grew up in the last dictatorship of Europe.

What is your hidden talent?

Dog whisperer. Even if I'm with a group of friends and a dog comes to say “hi” to us, it will come to me first.

What are three things you can’t live without?

Books, sunscreen, Spotify

What is your favourite book?

Franz Kafka’s “The Trial”

Tell us your idea of the perfect day. 

Wake up and go to the ocean to see the sunrise with a cup of coffee alongside my husband and our future dog. We would do a challenging hike up a mountain in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. In the evening, we would watch a new movie from one of my favorite directors.

Lightning round: this or that?

Morning or Night?

Night

Summer or Winter?

Summer

Tea or Coffee?

Both :)

Pizza or Tacos?

Pizza

iOS or Android

iOS