Learn Practical, Real-World Test Automation

With a proven, pragmatic approach taught by industry expert John Ferguson Smart that will set you apart from your peers and help you stay ahead of the curve.

Are you struggling to learn test automation? Do you feel like you've tried everything, but nothing seems to work?

We've all been there!

Virturally every senior test automation engineer I know strugged in the beginning. I certainly did!

I used to spend hours going through YouTube tutorials and Udemy videos, trying to learn test automation in different languages, trying to make sense of the tons of material out there. But I still felt like I was going nowhere!

Then I discovered the secret...

That was when an old friend introduced me to a little-known Education Science technique called Active Learning, and the concept of the Flipped Classroom, and it changed everything.

This was the simple trick I'd been missing. Both for my own learning, and later on when I was teaching and coaching other testers.

See, traditional training methods simply don't work well for most people. Pure online training isn't structured enough, and it takes a LOT of discipline to learn stuff in depth that way. And traditional classroom training isn't personalised enough - it's either too fast (and you get left behind), too slow (and you get bored), or not all applicable for your situation (so you waste your time).

Active Learning changes all this - not only does it help you build practical skills faster and more effectively than any other technique I've come across - it also makes learning fun again!

In Active Learning, you use a well-balanced combination of theoretical training tailored to your specific needs, practical applied exercises, live training where an expert coach shows you how to apply your learning to real-world situations, as well as one-on-one coaching and feedback, and participation in group projects and learning.

Let me tell you, it really rocks!

So How Can You Make Active Learning Work For You?

Great question! Here are a few pointers.

Make a plan: First, you'll need to figure out what you need to learn: what are the areas you want to improve, and what order to do them in. This can be a bit tricky sometimes, as, as the saying goes, "you don't know what you don't know". I wrote a Test Automation Roadmap for my own students that can help you for this - you can download it here.
Find a mentor: Secondly, you'll need to find a guide or mentor. A good mentor can help you set clear learning goals, provide valuable feedback, and keep you accountable. If you work for a large company, you might also have access to internal training or mentorship programs that can help you learn more effectively, so make sure you check out that option.
Join a community: Finally, Active Learning is highly collaborative. Find yourself a study group, so that you can participate in group learning and exercises; seek out online communities to engage with other learners and accelerate your progress. For example, the Agile Test Automation Secrets group further down this page is a great place to start.
Be consistent! If you want to succeed in learning test automation, consistency is key. Break down complex topics into smaller, manageable chunks and make a habit of practicing regularly - even if only for a short period each day. Many people struggle to learn not because they lack the ability, but because they lack the structure and routine necessary to make progress. By giving yourself the time and space to learn regularly, you can build your skills and knowledge more quickly and confidently, setting yourself up for long-term success in your career.

How Can You Reach Your Goals Faster?

Many students have found that they can apply Active Learning on their own, but progress much faster when they have the support of an expert coach or a community of like-minded learners.

With the guidance of an experienced mentor, it's WAY easier to identify the most important topics you need to focus on, overcome obstacles more quickly, and gain clarity on the best practices and strategies for mastering test automation and applying it in the real world.

And being part of a learning community is also a great way to help you stay motivated, focused, and on track towards achieving your learning objectives.

That's what I created the Serenity Dojo program.

At the Serenity Dojo we use Active Learning extensively with our own students, because it really is the fastest, most effective path I know to succeed in test automation, and to obtain the professional outcomes and benefits that come with that success.

You can hear some of their stories in the video below:

Alla started with almost no test automation experience: she was only in our coaching program for only a few weeks when she nailed a Test Automation job in a top-100 US bank, and was able to support her family back in Ukraine.

Shazia was able to learn test automation faster and better than she'd ever been able to with Udemy courses, thanks to the program's unique structure, comprehensive content, and on-demand coaching and support.

Estela went from a help desk to leading a major BDD initiative in a bank in Lisbon and quadrupled her salary, thanks to the deep and comprehensive skills she acquired with our Active Learning coaching program.

Sachin found a unique learning experience, uncomparable with any other training he had ever done, that gave him the confidence to write high quality test automation frameworks from scratch: "it's like getting real-time experience."

So How Does Your Coaching Program Work?

Here at the Serenity Dojo we do things differently.

Because we believe that our highest priority is not for us to teach: it is for you to learn, so that you can achieve your personal and professional goals.

This means we have a rather unique (and uncompromising) approach to how we help you learn test automation and agile testing.

So rather than rigid teaching in classrooms or bootcamps, we take you on a tailored training and mentoring journey adapted to your specific goals and learning style.

Rather than just teaching tools and theory, we create an engaging, interactive environment where you learn real-world skills and practices, so you understand when and how to use test automation to get the best outcomes for your organisation.

We combine a rich library of video training (that we guide you through according to your goals) with live exercises and group sessions, one-on-one mentoring and guidance, and even support with job interview preparation.

And rather than focusing on short-term superficial learning, we go deep - students stay on the programme 3-6 months, because deep, sustainable learning takes time, and we embrace that.

It's probably unlike anything you've come across: but it works.

What's in the program?

Your journey at the Serenity Dojo will be tailored to your specific needs, but some of the principal areas we cover include:

Coding For Testers: Learn the development skills and mindsetyou'll need as a test automation engineer, so that test automationcoding becomes a pleasure and not a chore
BDD with Cucumber: Learn how to use simple conversations withyour team to hone in on the highest value test cases, so that youcan make sure every minute you spend automating never goes towaste.
Test Automation Design Patterns: Learn the four key designpatterns that will help you build more scaleable test automationframework and that can save you 80% or more in test maintenancecosts.
Web Application Testing: Learn how to use Selenium andSerenity BDD (in Java) and Cypress and Playwright(JavaScript/TypeScript) to write powerful web tests quickly andreliably, and blend API calls seemlessly into your end-to-end tests.
API Testing: Learn how to interact with microservices and RESTAPIs using tools like RestAssured (Java) and Playwright(JavaScript) to make all of your tests faster, more reliable and morescalable.
JavaScript Testing Frameworks: Discover JavaScript andTypeScript test frameworks such as Cypress and Playwright, andunderstand when and how to use them, so that you can beconfident with any test automation technology stack
DevOps: Learn how to use Maven, Git, Jenkins and Docker tobuild your own Continuous Integration pipeline.
AI In Testing: Learn how to leverage tools like ChatGPT, and AI techniques such as Visual Testing, to automate faster and better than before, and to stay ahead of the curve in your day-to-day work and on the job market.

"The Serenity Dojo Is The Real Deal" - what do the Serenity Dojo students have to say?