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- Name:
- Poornima Vijayashanker
- Title:
- Software Engineer
- Education:
- Duke University – Electrical & Computer Engineering and Computer Science. Stanford – Master in CS – Quit to work at Mint.
- Tell us a little bit about yourself.
- I actually never wanted to be an engineer, as all the men in my family are engineers. I always wanted to be a corporate lawyer, but things changed when I got to college — I decided to be an engineer, as I thought it was a cool and intense field.
- Tell us something interesting about yourself.
- I’m very flexible. Like, super-bendy.
- Best financial tip?
- Don’t spend more than you make.
- Worst financial move?
- Paying too much tax on short-term capital gain by selling stocks too quickly.
- How do you handle your finances?
- Before Mint, I used spreadsheets. I basically figured out what my spending on non-discretionary items were (food, shelter, etc.), and the money I have left over gets put into savings, retirement account, 401k, and ESPP.
- What’s the funniest/craziest thing you’ve seen while working at Mint?
- Noah Kagan.
- Why are you working at Mint?
- I always wanted to work at Mint; it was just a matter of right timing. In fact, I actually came up with the name for Mint. I was in the early stages when the ideas came about, and once the company began to solidify, I decided it was the right time to join up with Mint. I definitely contributed to the ideas behind Mint, and I always wanted to work for a startup.
- What do you do at Mint?
- When I started, I was almost doing everything (back-end and front-end). Now I’m just the code monkey, and I do pretty much what anyone wants.
- Favorite part about working here?
- Being able to joke around, do some work, play ping pong, head home, and do some more work (I also get to curse while coding).
- What don’t you like about working here?
- Being the only girl. I get picked on a lot. 🙁
- What sound do you love?
- Laughter.
- Who is your favorite hero of fiction?
- Dagny Taggart.
- What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
- Being a writer.
- What do you do after work?
- Do you have a website or a blog?
- Femgineer.com
Work out, bikram, tennis, and code some more.