Employee Spotlight: Shikha Mishra

In conversation with one of our Senior Software Engineers

From being a wedding planner to a full-stack developer, Shikha Mishra, a Senior Software Engineer at Niyo, is game for every adventure that unfurls in front of her.

“Everyone is treated with equal respect no matter their age, designation, or whatever it may be. Being the only girl on our team, I have never felt unheard. Even when I make a point that may seem somewhat impractical, my teammates help me understand in a very respectful way. The amount of appreciation one gets for their efforts too is one of the most interesting things about Niyo.”

Shikha hails from Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, and did her engineering in Electronics & Communication, from Hindustan College of Science & Technology, Mathura.

Let’s take a peep into the life of this interesting personality right away.

Q: What makes you want to log on (or jump into work) every day?

I joined Niyo as a front-end developer and recently I have moved to back-end development. Currently, I am doing both ends, which technically makes me a full-stack developer. This involves learning new things and exploring new opportunities which is something I find very motivating. Every day I am challenged with new ideas and perspectives which keeps me motivated. I find constant and sustainable changes ever motivating!

Q: What do you do at Niyo?

Formerly, I worked at Niyo as a contract employee and was later offered the position of a full-time Software Development Engineer. Today, I am a Senior Software Developer and I have developed the front end of all the onboarding parts of NiyoX. I am proud to share that I developed all the modules from scratch and was solely responsible for that module. Later, I started working on the back-end development, and I now work with the Equitas Bank team on the specific part of onboarding where crucial customer details are collected, such as their Aadhaar and PAN details.

Q: Are things different now that we’re all WFH?

Since the pandemic, with everyone working from home, work is not as hectic as it used to be. A lot of the pressure I used to feel when we were working from the office has exponentially decreased now, especially now that I don’t have to worry about getting to the office on time. I feel that it has helped me increase my productivity–I can focus my energy on my tasking and get more done.

Q: What entails your typical workday?

By 10, I log in and at 11:30 we have a daily standup meeting. Once we’ve connected for the day, I finish up the remaining work from the day before, check my emails, and follow up with the stories for the current module. For those who don’t know, a module is a big case to be worked on, and so it is segmented and worked on by separate teams as separate tasks. Each of these tasks is called a “story”. I take this time to see what parts of the story I’m working on are left to be finished. Finally, I make sure to update the relevant cards on our task board with the status of my work. To put it simply, I spend my day analysing, coding, and dev testing.

Q: What’s something interesting you’ve learned recently?

I have moved to back-end development, and I am working on a technology called Node JS. I am learning a lot about this technology every day, along with some other new aspects of my projects such as banking and security.

Q: Do you have any personal favorite projects at Niyo?

The Equitas project (the one I am currently working on) is my favorite. In 2020, when I joined, I was working on the IDFC project, where almost everything was predefined and I had others guiding me throughout. I didn’t get as involved with the main work as I wanted to. In Equitas, however, I have ownership of the work I am assigned and have to handle everything responsibly. I guess this aspect of the project is something that interests me. It’s been a great learning experience for me because last year when the Equitas project started, we had a very short timeline within which we had to deploy the product and there were only a few people to work on it too — but we still did it!

Q: What do you like most about Niyo?

One thing I love the most about Niyo is that it is devoid of any kind of micromanagement and no one bosses around anyone. Everyone is treated with equal respect no matter their age, designation, or whatever it may be. Being the only girl on our team, I have never felt unheard. Even when I make a point that may seem somewhat impractical, my teammates help me understand in a very respectful way. The amount of appreciation one gets for their efforts too is one of the most interesting things about Niyo.

Q: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?

The best advice I have ever been given is to believe in myself. I was so traumatized by everything I went through when my parents were hospitalized with COVID-19 while my brother and I were also COVID-19 positive. At that time, Ashish, Apeksha, Umang, and many other people were tremendously supportive of me. Their constant reassurance of my capabilities made me believe in myself and helped me get me back on track in no time. Words cannot express how grateful I am for such kind colleagues.

Q: What advice would you give someone who wants to join Team Niyo?

If you’re joining Niyo, be as curious as you can. People here are always there to help you find answers to your questions. So don’t hesitate to clear your doubts, however silly they might sound to you.

Q: If you could have an unlimited supply of one thing, what would it be?

Puppies! I would like to receive an unlimited supply of puppies if that is possible. If I am in a bad mood or deep in my blues, hand me a puppy and I will be as happy as a playful toddler.

Q: When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I wanted to be a pilot, but being a coder is cool too!

Q: How would your family or friends describe you in 3 words?

Hardworking, multitasker, motivational

Q: What is the most inspiring part of your job?

When we launched NiyoX App, I made my parents go through it, they were so proud of me as I had solely worked on the onboarding part. I think the smile that they had on their face while I was walking them through what I had done inspires me to work even better each passing day.

Q: How do you unwind from work?

I love singing. I love trying new things. During the lockdown, I started sketching and singing. I even ventured to prepare a perfume on my own as I am allergic to regular alcohol-based deodorants; I did my research for alternative deodorant ingredients, bought essential oils, and successfully prepared a fragrance that I can stand.

Would you like to work with Shikha on your next project? Do check out Niyo Careers for any open positions in your field of expertise. To get a sneak peek at Niyo’s culture and the cool people who turn ideas into reality, check out Niyo behind the scenes.