Brandee Hughey

I attribute my success to my genuine passion for helping clients. I find the greatest fulfillment in guiding them through challenges and seeing that “light bulb” moment when something clicks—when they gain a new understanding or skill. Being able to educate and empower others not only drives my work but also brings me real joy, and I believe that enthusiasm naturally translates into meaningful results.

The best career advice I’ve ever received is simple but powerful: Be the duck. No matter how chaotic things get, stay calm, collected, and composed on the surface—even if beneath it all, you’re paddling like crazy to keep things moving. People trust steady hands, not frantic ones.

My advice to young women entering this industry is: don’t underestimate yourself. Knowledge and degrees are valuable, but without confidence and empathy—both for yourself and others—they can only take you so far. Early in my career, I struggled with imposter syndrome and realized that it wasn’t about my abilities—it was about my own self-confidence. That experience taught me that confidence is the foundation of everything. You have to be your own biggest advocate, remind yourself of your worth, and push forward, even when it feels uncomfortable. Whether you have the degree or not, your experience, perspective, and determination are incredibly powerful—and often even more impactful. Believe in yourself. You've got this.

One of the biggest challenges in QA right now is keeping pace with rapid technology shifts—AI, automation, and cloud-native testing are changing the game. At the same time, we’re navigating more complex systems, tighter release cycles, and growing expectations around security, compliance, and accessibility. But that’s also where the opportunity is. Tools like AI-driven test automation, self-healing scripts, and continuous testing pipelines aren’t here to replace QA—they’re here to make us faster, smarter, and more strategic. The future of QA is about integrating testing earlier, focusing on risk, and bringing a human lens to things AI can’t yet handle—like ethical considerations, user empathy, and experience design. For me, the goal is to stay adaptable: learn new tools, lead smarter processes, and always keep the customer experience at the center of quality.

Perseverance is one of the most important values that guides both my work and personal life. I became a mother at 18 and started my journey with a general studies degree from a community college. While that could have been a barrier, I chose to see it as motivation. Much of what I’ve learned—and what I now consider most valuable in my role—came from hands-on experience, not textbooks. Even though many aspects of my work often require a computer science degree, it’s been real-world training that has shaped my capabilities the most. To continue growing, I also completed management courses through Harvard Business School Online, which strengthened my ability to serve as an effective liaison between technical teams and clients. I’m proud of the path I’ve taken, and I believe perseverance, continuous learning, and adaptability have been key to my success.