Software Development Engineer-IV [Backend], Navneet Chandra, on finding a family and the right mix of fun, excitement and job satisfaction at Meesho
By: Mangala Dilip
Tags: Culture, Meesho, Tech, Backend Development, Software Engineering

If you ask Meesho’s Software Development Engineer (SDE) — IV [Backend] Navneet Chandra about the day he felt proudest of himself, he would tell you, it is the day he met Meesho resellers at the Mission Rise Women Entrepreneur Summit in Ludhiana last year. He remembers thinking how every moment of hard work he has put in since childhood has led him to that day, where he met the very people whose lives he has impacted with his work. He remembers the goosebumps he felt and that it reminded him why his work was important and how it was changing the world in many ways.

Navneet is one of the earliest Meesho employees, in fact he was the fourth backend engineer to get on board the Meesho rocketship, and he has seen the team evolve into its current strength of ten times more. When he joined Meesho, he was searching for that company that would offer him the holy trifecta — earn, learn and make social impact. While the former two were offered by several other companies, the chance to make a difference in society while also learning and earning, that too while he was in his twenties, was only a reality at Meesho, and Navneet had no intention of letting that opportunity pass by. Two years down the line, Navneet, who feared he would have to wait till retirement to engage in social work, is talking about his roller-coaster life at Meesho and his journey in the tech team.

Over to Navneet:

I am from Murliganj, a really small village in Bihar, and all I knew while growing up there was that I loved solving puzzles and I was good with numbers. To the people around me, it was a no-brainer that you pursue engineering. So when it was the right time, I headed to NIT Calicut to pursue Computer Science and Engineering with the blessings of my eternally supportive parents.

Team Tech: Navneet knows that his team would always have his back professionally or personally, just as he would theirs

This happened to be one of the best decisions of my life, because college life changed me. I learned how to communicate better there, I learned how to interact with people, and I made so many friends. It changed my worldview altogether. It also set me on the path that I am in currently, so I am grateful for that time.

In work family I trust

After graduating, I worked with a few startups and MNCs, and all these experiences allowed me to flex my tech muscles and prepared me for my life at Meesho. I was the 4th backend engineer to join here, and I knew I had my work cut out for me, and I was excited. The interview process, I remember, was very rigorous and thorough, and as soon as I met Pavan Patil (SDE — IV [Backend] — Tech) and Sanjeev Barnwal (Co Founder and CTO), I felt like I could trust them. I knew that they truly believed in their product, and are capable of growing it, and that trust was so important for me.

Till date, I believe that the best part about Meesho is the culture here, and my teammates are like family to me. In the beginning, especially when it was just the few of us, all belonging to the same age-group, likeminded, working on this dream together, it felt like I was back in college. Even though we have significantly increased in numbers, the Tech team is still a family, and we have each other’s backs — be it personal or professional.

I remember just three months after I joined the company I had to go home because of a family emergency, and I worked from home for a month. No one questioned me about this, instead told me that these sorts of emergencies happen. When I returned, the team updated me on the projects we were currently working on and asked me to take it forward from there. That kind of support in the initial days in a company is so rare to see.

Navneet likes the fact that everyone at Meesho is always looks at the bigger picture

Even working with Sanjeev who happens to be our CTO and Co Founder, was an eye-opening experience for me. While he is our leader, he is also one among us, and so down-to-earth. He understands the strengths of his team members, and assigns jobs accordingly. Moreover, he treats us like family and brings out the best in his team. This attitude and behavior trickles down the other leaders and team members in our office too.

All these experiences have made me forever emotionally attached to Meesho.

Earn. Learn. Social impact

On a daily basis, we embody at least one, sometimes all of our core values, be it Take Ownership, Deep Dive and Solve Problems or Think 10 X. When I take on something, I am completely responsible for it, which means if something is not working properly or if there is some delay, I take on the responsibility to fix it — no matter how. This requires me to be all of these things at once. And, all that we do directly impacts our resellers, which means I am also constantly driven by the core value of Make Resellers Successful.

When I am building something I ask myself how it will positively impact their lives and their reselling experience? Be it pulling all nighters, or working relentlessly to solve engineering problems, it is all absolutely worth it. Whenever I work on something, I see how that is impacting the users — our resellers. If their life has changed because of our work, and they are happy, it makes me happy too. That impact motivates me.

Navneet is happy that through his work he is able to make a huge social impact

I knew that I am well-versed in my line of work, and I wanted to do more, which is why I wanted to work in a place like Meesho, where I could earn, learn, and positively impact society. I love the fact that everyday at Meesho I get to challenge myself to do better than yesterday, and there hasn’t been a single day since I joined that I have been dissatisfied with work.

Forget 10 X, think 100X

We are always thinking about the big picture at Meesho, and so, the core value of Think 10 X, is ingrained in us. We have to be able to visualise any and all problems we might face, solve it, and execute all ideas successfully. In fact, if you look at the Tech and Product teams at Meesho, you will see that we have not just gone from x to 10 x, we have managed to reach 100x. That is also possible only because we live by another core value — Company > Team > Individual. Always look at the big picture!

We are always looking for the best solution, and so if something I built is not designed to be scalable, I would seek the help of a colleague who would give me objective feedback and a fresh perspective. On the other hand, if I am able to logically convince why a particular logic is optimal, it will be unanimously accepted.

I have really thrived in Meesho, thanks to the work culture, my work family, and the tangible impact I get to make in society. I started out as a Senior Software Engineer and currently I am working as a Software Development Engineer IV. I have been leading logistics from the tech fulfillment aspect, and I have learned so much during this time.

In fact, my learning in the field of tech has gone from X to 10X while working at Meesho. After all, my team and I created the complete logistics product from scratch and I am leading all of Logistics now. I learned how to manage my team, while also managing my work at Meesho. And, I am looking forward to learning so much more.

Life at Meesho is like a roller-coaster ride. From day 1 to right now, there has only been an overwhelming amount of enjoyment, and excitement, there is no lull. We take pride in the work we do, and we take pride in our achievements. And, we keep growing.

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