Life as a software engineer is undoubtedly exciting and challenging, according to Mitrais Software Engineering Analyst Elvira Aghasty. A bright and tenacious professional, Elvira has overcome many hurdles, not the least of which are fulfilling her responsibilities as a mom while striving to learn new things in her career. Recently, one of our clients managed to upgrade their Customer Portal from Sharepoint to Outsystems thanks to Elvira, who they said was invaluable in work on Power Automate and data migration.

In this article, we get to know Elvira better — her life at Mitrais, the bumps on the road that she’s encountered, and how she’s managed to move past them and thrive.

Joining Mitrais as a Fresh Graduate 

After graduating with an Information System major, she applied at Mitrais. She earned a position as a Junior Programmer, a role that was in line with her goal of working in web as well as data applications and development. It was then that she saw for herself what others had said before. The irony is that what we learn at the university is not enough to answer real-life challenges. It’s often after we get our hands dirty that we understand the nuances of a project or task. For Elvira, this couldn’t be truer.

Elvira was first assigned to work in desktop development, writing code for software applications. Her dedicated efforts did pay off, and after moving to web development, she picked up new skills and was even endorsed by a client for Outsystems Certification.

Fast forward ten years, and Elvira has never been happier to be part of Mitrais. She shares, “It’s almost a decade now, and my career growth has been amazing! Never have I felt a mundane day, as each day working here excites me.”

Ain’t No Mountain High Enough

Despite her passion and ambition, Elvira acknowledges that the two main challenges she needed to deal with were learning new technology and improving her English communication skills.  

University Only Takes You So Far

Only after completing university did she realize that her university studies could only afford her part of the way. She had to work on the rest while on the job. This included learning by doing on how to work with clients while delivering her responsibilities. As the only developer at the time, she rose to the challenge of learning new technology and processes that seemed out of her radar at the time, such as mining. With smart work and perseverance, Elvira prevailed and delivered.

Another mountain that Elvira had to overcome was improving her English proficiency. Like many programmers, she always got cold feet when communicating professionally and publicly. However, a Mitrais international client required her and her team to present to them fortnightly, pushing her to gain confidence and fluency. Refusing to back down, Elvira readily adapted.

“I eventually became more confident with every project and every client as I felt my English skills improve,” she recounts.

Since aspiring developers also faced Elvira’s struggles, it helps to know how she succeeded. What did she leverage, and how did she deal with personal and professional issues?

Life at Mitrais: A Culture of Trust and Knowledge-sharing

Elvira deeply appreciates the working culture at Mitrais and the culture of trust that she has experienced firsthand. She loves how easy-going and professional her colleagues are and how more experienced employees are willing to share their knowledge. “Mitrais also has quarterly open forums, so I am positive that my voice is heard, and every employee’s opinion matters,” she adds. 

As a working mother, she explains how Mitrais’s support means a lot to her, in the form of perks, benefits, and flexible working arrangements, this includes working from home. These have given her the peace of mind she needs to perform well at work while protecting herself and her family from the global pandemic and balancing her responsibilities at home. 

Indeed, Elvira has come a long way from the fresh graduate who joined Mitrais ten years ago.

What advice does she have for fellow tech professionals?

“Never be insecure about thriving in the tech industry,” she says. “In my experience, Mitrais provides employees with the knowledge, tools, and experiences you need to perform and grow in your career regardless of gender.”

Want to grow your career the way that Elvira grew hers? #JoinMitrais now!