In my current company, we have one tester. Having spoken to this tester, she says that in testing, before implementing any automation systems, the scripts (steps to take) are manually written and performed (performed at least once).

Is this the way things work in testing?

To make me laugh, this has been done in this case, yet no automation. It makes me laugh to see the lead tester perform loads of different combinations of usernames and passwords for a login form (which she is not overly keen on having automated) when I could easily automate that (but politics in the company won't allow that).

This doesn't seem like the environment where a junior tester (not me, I'm a SDET) cannot learn anything.

Thanks