Happy New Year, Peers!!

Welcome to the latest episode of the Testing Peers podcast, this time panel explores how testers and quality professionals can make the most of their training budgets, whether that budget is zero, modest, or stretches into several thousand pounds.

Hosts this week: Russell Craxford, David Maynard, Chris Armstrong, and Tara Walton.

The discussion is grounded in real experience and looks at how learning choices change depending on constraints, priorities, and organisational context.

Starting from Zero: Learning Without a Budget

The episode begins by challenging the assumption that learning requires money. The hosts highlight the breadth and quality of free resources available, including:

• Blogs, podcasts, and community-driven content
• Free learning platforms such as Test Automation University, freeCodeCamp, and edX
• Vendor-provided learning resources from tooling and platform providers

A key recommendation is the free “Learning How to Learn” course by Barbara Oakley and Terrence Sejnowski, which helps people understand how they learn best before deciding where to invest time or money.

Spending Around £100: Small Budgets, Real Value

With a budget of around £100, the focus shifts to intentional, value-led choices:

• Books as a focused, low-distraction way to learn:
• Subscriptions to learning platforms rather than single courses
• Prioritising practical outcomes over certificates
• Using community recommendations to avoid low-quality content
• TestSphere and RiskStorming cards
• Obviously, the Testing Peers Conference, March 12th 2026

Books such as Explore It, The Phoenix Project, The Culture Code and other systems thinking titles are highlighted as high-value, low-cost investments.

Around £500: Community, Conferences, and Exposure

At the £500 level, learning opportunities expand:

• Attending local conferences, meetups, or community events 
  • Leeds Test Atelier (Free to attend)
  • SIGiST
  • ShipItCon
• Covering travel, accommodation, and tickets for nearby events
• Investing in leadership, communication, and presentation skills
• Subscriptions such as Ministry of Testing Pro (including a ticket to their #MoTaCon event) and similar learning communities
• LeanPub

The hosts discuss the value of human connection, being exposed to new perspectives, and coming away from events with renewed ideas and motivation.

Certifications and Career Signals

The conversation takes a balanced view on certifications, including ISTQB:

• Not a definition of quality or capability
• Potentially useful for people entering the industry
• Helpful as a signal when e

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