Urgent Nyathi is an Automation Engineer at Inspired Testing, a Dynamic Technologies group company. Driven by curiosity, Urgent has always been interested in pushing the limits of systems and applications undergoing testing. With his love of programming, testing and automation were the natural next step.
He has been with Inspired Testing for a year and is enjoying both the challenges and the lessons. “Adapting to different client environments and cultures while always maintaining a high standard of testing quality has been a challenge, but a good one.” Urgent adds, “I’ve learnt that communication is as important as technical skills. You can find all the bugs in the world, but if you can’t communicate the risks to stakeholders effectively, the value of your skill is lost.”
He plans to stay curious and keep pushing the limits of the systems and applications he tests. His advice for youngsters wondering if test automation is their niche is, “Never stop being curious and asking questions. Don’t be afraid to break things, that’s how you learn, but try not to repeat the same mistake.”
Inspired Testing has provided a structured environment for Urgent to upskill himself – something the company encourages all their employees to do – which has helped him push his technical boundaries. Part of continually learning and self-improvement is discipline. “I realised that discipline is universal. Whether I’m pushing for one last rep in the gym or the last kilometre of a run or debugging a complex script late in the day, the same mental fortitude is required.”
As a keen runner, mental fortitude is his thing. “In both testing and in running, you can’t sprint the whole way or you’ll burn out before you reach your target, whether it’s the finish line or the go live date. The marathon mentality is about pacing, persistence and preparation – that’s similar to what I do at work. It has taught me to look at the long-term goal of a project and handle the uphill challenges without losing focus. I don’t only think about the race or the test outcome, I also look at how I can effectively and efficiently improve how I test or run – that’s how I grow.”
So why running? Urgent admits that it started out with a bit of sibling rivalry. “I’ve always enjoyed the gym and building muscle, but my sister is the runner in the family. One day I jokingly told her I could run faster and further than she could. I started joining her morning runs to prove a point, and that ‘joke’ escalated into 5km and 10km races. I’m now setting my sights on a 21km and eventually a full 42km. However, I’ve drawn the line at 90km. Some distances are just meant for cars or bikes!”
Urgent Nyathi ran the 10km Peace Run of the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon 2025