User Profile

Personal:
I am a 30-something year old father of two adorable boys (Nicholas and Taylor). I'm married to the most wonderful woman, Linda, who has ever dared to put up with me on a day to day basis and her teenage son Mica (who is pretty cool in his own right). My family is my world, even though my web presence would suggest otherwise. Currently we live in Palm Bay, FL (about an hour SE of Orlando) and I think we'll be staying here for a while).

I was raised in NJ, found myself at Va Tech, got bannished to Ft. Campbell, KY, grew up in Northern Virginia, then started my life for real in FL. I love being a father, driving my Miata too fast, building stuff, traveling, driving my Miata too fast, debating almost anything, being a mega-geek in my own little software testing world, writing (mostly about work currently)and did I mention driving my Miata too fast?

In Jersey, I gained several defining traits:
- He who yells loudest most often wins.
- Sympathy, compasion and crying are for the weak.
- Football uniforms are more important than calculous books.
- Retired 6 time ProBowl pro football players, fat old playboy bunnies, frustrated AAA athletes who never got drafted and people who can't make it in their career field all too often become HS teachers.

And in the immortal words of Tom Petty, performing "Tweeter and the Monkey Man" with the Travelling Wilburies...
- "In Jersey anything's le-gal, as long as you don't get caught."

While I was at Tech, I learned several more things:
- In g*d d*mned NJ, I f*cking learned to curse way the h*ll too much, and sh*t.
- I looked REALLY dumb in a uniform with a shaved head.
- He who yells loudest most often gets in the most trouble.
- Pretty girls are really nice to sleep next to...
- except that I barely ever slept.

During my time at Fort Campbell I realized the following:
- I absolutely was not cut out to be an Army officer - even if I was good at it.
- He who yells loudest most often gets volunteered.
- Leaving all of your friends behind really sucks.

During the 6 years that I lived in Northern Virginia I started learning those "what it actually means to be an adult" type lessons:
- Jobs rarely turn out to be what they sounded like in the job posting.
- He who yells loudest often gets what he thinks he wants, but pays for it.
- A travelling consultant is a terrific job for a bachelor, but not a father.
- Friendships shouldn't be taken for granted.
- Pulling up tree stumps by hand is a productive way to vent frustrations.

Since moving to FL, I've figured out some of the most important lessons yet:
- Nothing in the world is more important than one's children.
- He who yells loudest most often makes the baby cry and his wife angry.
- Driving a convertable between palm trees and ocean eliminates road rage.
- Life more rewarding when you love your job AND your family.

The professional bio below is to show off to anyone who cares and for everyone else to roll their eyes at. ;) Just remember that no matter how yuppy the bio sounds, I'm still a pony tailed, ear-ring wearing guy who wears jeans and no shoes to work.

Professional:
Scott Barber is the Chief Technologist of PerfTestPlus, Executive Director of the Association of Software Testing and Co-Founder of the Workshop on Performance and Reliability. Scott's particular specialties are testing and analyzing performance for complex systems, developing customized testing methodologies for individual organizations, embedded systems testing, testing biometric identification and security systems, group facilitation and authoring instructional materials. Scott is an international speaker and contributer to various software testing publications. He is a member of IEEE, American MENSA, the Context-Driven School of Software Testing and is a signatory to the Manifesto for Agile Software Development. Scott is active in his personal mission of improving the state of performance testing across the industry by collaborating with other industry authors, thought leaders and expert practitioners as well as volunteering his time to establish and grow related industry organizations. His tireless dedication to the advancement of software testing in general and specifically performance testing is often referred to as a hobby in addition to a job due to the enjoyment he gains from his efforts.

Scott has a master's degree in information technology and was invited to be a guest lecturer at MIT based on his article "Automated Testing for Embedded Devices" and hopes to someday become a university professor.

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