The AI generated post it produced. though, it just didn't sound like me. Too long. Not chatty or informal enough. The phrasing was off as if instead of bullet points about my year it was trying to unfold a grand epic story that just wasn't there. Then, I then asked Claude.ai to edit the post it so it copied my writing style from the Media section of this blog ... and it was scary how similar to me it sounded!
I'll copy-and-paste the CoAuthor.studio and Claude.ai and put then in the post so people can compare the language.
Hey, a software tester's gotta test!
What a year. In April, my team at MassMutual got the axe. By December, I was building a mobile test automation framework, vibe-coding my first React Native app with GitHub CoPilot, and preparing for a TestGuild talk. Here's my 2025 rewind. The pivot When I posted about the layoff in April, I noticed something: SDET job postings around Boston weren't looking for Ruby + Capybara anymore. Everyone wanted Playwright + TypeScript. So I did what any automation developer does — I started learning. Thank you, Butch Mayhew, for that LinkedIn Learning course. The new adventure In July, I joined SELF ID, Inc. as a Software Test Engineer. My second week? An off-site at the Caribe Hilton in Puerto Rico with my new remote teammates. What a way to start a new position! Building and learning These past six months, I've been building a Detox + TypeScript framework for SELF ID's React Native mobile app — 150+ automated tests running via GitHub Actions, with results piped to Slack. It's been a blast. I also learned that AI tools need a healthy dose of skepticism. GitHub CoPilot once suggested a Detox method called ".toBeDisabled()" that sounded perfect. One problem: after digging through documentation and source code, I found out it doesn't exist. When I told the AI, it apologized profusely... then suggested I use the non-existent method again. Lesson learned: AI speeds things up, but always verify. The pet project To prep for an upcoming blog series, I vibe-coded DetoxDemo — a quick-and-dirty React Native app based on Dave Haefner's The-Internet test site. Built entirely with GitHub CoPilot, despite never having written React Native code before. What could go wrong? It worked. Now I have a practice ground for mobile automation tutorials. What's next Thank you, Joe Colantonio, for inviting me to speak at TestGuild in April 2026. I'll be talking about building a Detox framework for a React Native mobile application. Only a few months to polish up that talk — wish me luck! I'm also planning a blog series on Detox at http://www.tjmaher.com Gratitude To everyone who reached out when I posted about the layoff, thank you. To my new teammates at SELF ID, thank you for the warm welcome. And to this community — fellow SDETs, testers, and automation developers — thank you for the conversations and encouragement. Here's to more adventures in automation in 2026. Happy New Year!
2025: A Year in Automation
What a year.
In April, my team at MassMutual got the axe. By December, I was building a mobile test automation framework from scratch, vibe-coding my first React Native app with GitHub CoPilot, and prepping for a TestGuild conference talk.
Here's how 2025 went down.
The Layoff and the Pivot
When I posted about the layoff back in April, I started paying closer attention to SDET job postings around Boston. The landscape had shifted. No one was looking for Ruby + Capybara anymore. Everyone wanted Playwright + TypeScript.
So I did what any test automation developer does when the market moves: I started learning.
Thank you, Butch Mayhew, for putting together that LinkedIn Learning course on Playwright. It was exactly what I needed.
Original post: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7316458275724554241/
The New Adventure Begins
By July, I had landed at SELF ID, Inc. as a Software Test Engineer.
My second week on the job? An off-site team meetup at the Caribe Hilton in Puerto Rico with my new remote teammates.
Not a bad way to start a new position.
Post from Puerto Rico: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7347991858943258624/
Building a Mobile Test Framework
These past six months at SELF ID have been spent building a Detox + TypeScript test automation framework for their React Native mobile application.
The framework now has over 150 automated tests running via GitHub Actions, with test results piped directly to Slack.
It's been a blast putting it together.
Latest update: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7376809914846978048/
AI-Assisted Coding: Trust, But Verify
I've also learned that AI coding tools need a healthy dose of skepticism.
Case in point: GitHub CoPilot once suggested I use a Detox matcher called
.toBeDisabled()that sounded absolutely perfect for what I needed.One problem: After digging through the Detox documentation and source code, I discovered the method doesn't actually exist.
When I pointed this out, the AI apologized profusely... then immediately suggested I use the non-existent method again.
Lesson learned: AI tools can speed up development, but you still need to verify everything.
The Side Project
To prep for an upcoming blog series on Detox, I decided to vibe-code DetoxDemo — a quick-and-dirty React Native practice application based on Dave Haeffner's legendary The-Internet test site.
I built the entire thing with GitHub CoPilot, despite never having written a line of React Native code before.
Surprisingly, it worked. Now I have a solid practice ground for mobile automation tutorials.
What's Coming in 2026
Thank you, Joe Colantonio, for inviting me to speak at TestGuild in April 2026.
I'll be presenting on building a Detox test automation framework for React Native mobile applications. Only a few months left to polish up that presentation — wish me luck!
I'm also planning a comprehensive blog series on Detox over at http://www.tjmaher.com
Thanks
To everyone who reached out when I posted about the MassMutual layoff: thank you. Your messages meant more than you know.
To my new teammates at SELF ID: thank you for the incredibly warm welcome.
And to this community — fellow SDETs, testers, and automation developers — thank you for the ongoing conversations, advice, and encouragement throughout the year.
Here's to more adventures in test automation in 2026.
Happy New Year!
... It is so scary how much it sounds like me! ...
The big mistake? Way, way too many em-dashes. My run on sentences contain comma after comma, not em-dashes.
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