Like you, I’ve seen firsthand the struggles QA Engineers face—whether that struggle is getting the job done or getting the role empowered. I’ve seen strong QA Engineers who couldn’t raise the quality bar because the environment made it nearly impossible. I’ve also seen engineers who weren’t strong enough to begin with and eventually withered under the pressure. These patterns shape how we look for QA Engineers when we’re hiring. We don’t just want someone skilled—we want someone who knows how to push through resistance and still do the right thing. We want someone who feels empowered and makes others feel the same. And yet, so many QA Engineers come to interviews carrying the weight of these past struggles. You can feel it. The lack of confidence, the hesitation, the lack of in-depth QA thinking, and the scars from environments where QA was sidelined.