Meet Our Technologists: Evan, Senior QA Analyst

During Autism Acceptance Month, we’re highlighting the stories of our autistic technologists, including their growth and accomplishments in their roles for our client companies. 

Evan, a senior analyst at auticon, joined the company (then called Mindspark) in 2014. Evan's decade-long tenure at auticon makes him one of the most longstanding members of the team.

Evan received a bachelor’s degree in film production from Cal State Northridge and was unemployed at the time of applying to auticon. He learned about the company through a newsletter from the Harbor Regional Center, a state-run services provider in California. He applied and was selected to take part in Mindspark’s training program, which covered specific skills related to QA as well as general workplace skills.

In Evan’s current role, he conducts manual QA for projects for two auticon clients, Daylight Transport (see our case study) and a leading sports video streaming service. This work involves using software tools such as Charles & Postman to test both web-based and mobile apps, as well as testing using mobile devices. Evan’s responsibilities also include following Agile methodology and mentoring newer team members. 

In his 10 years at auticon, Evan has had the opportunity to grow both his technical and workplace skills significantly. He became proficient in creating and executing test cases, tracking defects, and learning new software tools for testing. He learned to adapt to different client software and processes while working within deadlines and different release cycles. He also worked on improving his written and communication skills, allowing him to collaborate effectively with colleagues and clients both in-person and remotely. In addition, Evan has been featured in several online and print media publications sharing his career journey.

Evan appreciates the ease of communicating with the teams on his projects, including through online meetings and chat applications. “I enjoy the people I work with both on the client and auticon side of the team,” he says.

On the technical side, Evan says he enjoys “getting to learn new skills unique to the project and the client needs,” as well as being able to test on both desktop and mobile platforms. As a sports fan, he also appreciates getting to work on a sports-related project.

auticon’s comprehensive benefits package, opportunities for career and pay advancement, and flexibility in working hours contribute to Evan’s satisfaction. He also values the company’s smooth transition to a remote-first company, which gave him the flexibility to relocate.  

“auticon offers the support that is needed to help technologists and analysts such as myself succeed at our jobs,” Evan says. “All parts of our team from the delivery managers to job coaches, to management and fellow coworkers, are understanding and accommodating.”