Posted by When Neenu signed up on Geektrust, she wasn’t looking for a job; she just loved the idea of finding a job through code. She liked the whole focus on cleaner code – it’s something not seen on other recruitment platforms, she felt. She loved the coding problems on Geektrust, for being more practical and what you would actually do on the job, and not the kind of technical questions or complex algorithm questions you get asked in interviews.
So she solved a problem, and got a very good score that only the top 1% of developers who solve our challenges get. A lot of companies showed interest in speaking to her but she decided to stay put at her job.
Until she got a mail from Krishnan asking whether she’d consider an opening at Geektrust, that is. She felt that she’d like to be a part of a company that is spreading the message of clean code, and using that as a parameter for helping people find jobs and helping companies hire. She pursued the opportunity and well, now she’s a part of our team. We are super thrilled that someone who wouldn’t move to any other company decided to move from her first company of 3 years only for us! Here’s her story, what she loves about programming, how she learnt to write clean code and the things she learnt along the way.
How and why did you start learning programming?
After passing 10th grade, I took up Computer Science simply because I didn’t want to go into the Medical field. I like problem solving. So I was curious about programming and decided to give it a try. The curiosity developed into interest when I started studying. In college I learnt all the fundamentals and theory, and there was very little practical exposure. I got a job at Tismo Tech, a design engineering firm specialized in embedded systems. On the job, I got to work on multiple projects for multiple clients. This was a huge experience in the practical side of programming – the application of everything I learnt in theory to solve problems. The requirements for different clients would be different. So I got to learn different language and tools as per what the project demanded. It was a process of learning on my own + upgrading my knowledge and skills via training that my company provided.
What I love about programming is the fact that I can use it to build solutions and I can use it to make life easier. It can be business solutions or practical life solutions. Overcoming the challenges involved in building solutions is a learning process I have fallen in love with. I like doing my own hobby projects and keeping the learning alive outside of office and not restricting it to what is required for the job. I really want to build big and amazing things, so that keeps me motivated and going forward.
What about tech do you like and dislike?
How tech has made life easier and has grown to help us in many facets of life. We can actually do everything online sitting at home. There is a whole lot of good, and we see the bad also, but it’s something to think about and perhaps solve in the future.
Some challenges you have faced and how did you solve them?
When I joined Tismo, I didn’t have any practical experience but I was given actual projects to work on right from the beginning. With every project I’d see that I am new to that technology. It was challenging at the start. But I saw that with some help and guidance, and by developing a mindset of ‘continuous learning’, I can learn anything and do anything no matter how new or difficult it is.
You are a Clean Code champion. How did you learn to write clean code? What made you realise its importance?
I always believed in this idea that a logical solution is not enough, I have to write code in a way that it makes things most simple for machines as well as my team mates. I got some training at Tismo. There were seniors to help. The CEO also used to take trainings in design principles and other important concepts. There were frequent code reviews. With each review and each project I wanted to improve the quality of my code and go beyond achieving the solution. This is partly why I loved the experience of solving the Geektrust problem. I am a full stack developer. I chose the frontend problem to solve, and solved it using React, giving importance to the architecture and not just the input-output. I think that’s the reason I got a good clean code score.
What do you aspire to be in your programming career?
I want to be a knowledgeable person and guide others also in writing good code. I want to gain deep expertise in all aspects of solution building and be in a position to answer questions, guide people in the right way and help them.
Advice to your younger self?
I shouldn’t always concentrate only on projects and office and work. I need to find time to learn something outside of work. Do hobby projects, stay up to date. I am lucky to be passionate about technology to an extent that it can be my hobby as well as my career. New things are coming up in the tech space every day. I used to pay attention only to what’s required for the work at hand. But that’s not the way. To be relevant in this field, one has to be keen to follow technology updates and stay curious about more than work.
Startup vs. MNC
Personally I like working in startups because of the experience and exposure I’ll gain from in. Right from my college days, I had this interest. The reason is that I like to see the growth of an idea, a company, a business, and be a part of it. So startups are the better choice for me.
Neenu solved a Geektrust coding challenge, just because she loves to code. It helped her find a job where she gets to be a champion of clean code, and lets her help others to write better code as well. Check out our coding challenges, and solve just one challenge to land jobs at the most interesting companies out there.
About Geektrust Dev Stories
Geektrust is a platform for technologists to find interesting opportunities and shape the future of tech. In our work, we meet developers from diverse backgrounds, experiences and perspectives with inspiring stories. So we started the Developer Stories series, to bring stories of different developers to the world.
If you’d like to be featured in our Dev Stories or know someone whose story can inspire others, write to us at hello@geektrust.in.
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