6sense is a fast-growing company with incredible employees all over the world. Our Employee Spotlight series introduces you to the people behind the tech revolutionizing B2B revenue creation.
Varsha Krishna is a Bangalore-based software engineer here at 6sense. She’s also a classically-trained Carnatic vocalist, a world traveler, and a mother.
Her passion for problem-solving led her to a career in coding. Her deep interest in working with big data and machine learning — and working for a company culture rooted in empathy — led her to 6sense.
We spoke with Varsha about her career journey, the things she loves the most about her role, and her unique experience as a coder, a classical music vocalist, and mom.
6sense: What’s your department and role?
Varsha: I’m a software engineer on the Orchestrations team. I’ve been here for a year.
What do you like best about the 6sense culture?
I like the remote work culture and flexible hours. You can set your own schedule as long as you communicate and stick to your commitments. Co-workers and managers support you and seek out feedback to learn how to improve processes.
What do you like best about the leadership team at 6sense?
The 6sense executive leadership team exhibits humility, and does so with every interaction. When answering employees’ questions, they are very transparent, and they are patient when listening to our concerns.
Recently, I had a chance to meet our CEO, Jason Zintak, and I asked him if there was anything about 6sense that he worried about. His answer: Keeping customers happy. And when I asked him what he was most confident about, he said it’s the team of employees that make up 6sense and their ability to achieve customer satisfaction.
What do you like best about your co-workers?
Everyone is extremely talented. It’s easy for even a casual conversation to become an opportunity for learning.
What makes you the happiest at work?
I look forward to work every day because I get to do something different, and I’m challenged with new problem-solving tasks. I also love seeing the things I’ve built put to good use by our customers.
What’s your educational and career background? Tell me about your journey so far.
I have a Bachelor of Engineering. My first job was with Target doing Java coding for the promotions part of the website. I did that job for three and a half years. After that, I worked for the travel booking company Cleartrip for about four years.
It was at Cleartrip that I developed an interest in traveling. I coded the booking flow for flights and hotels, including the check-in and check out and booking confirmation. It put me in the mindset of someone booking a trip, and made me want to travel as well.
What inspired you to pursue a career in coding?
I love problem solving! The inexplicable joy I gain from solving problems is what inspired me to pursue a career in coding. You can see it instantly when the code works or not, if the program does what you want it to do.
What attracted you to work at 6sense?
I was excited about the product and the opportunity to work with big data, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. I also was attracted to the company values of love and empathy, and having fun.
What makes you feel valued as a 6senser?
Success is recognized and appreciated by co-workers and managers, and even by executives. Even small wins are celebrated. It makes me feel valued and drives me to work more efficiently.
What are your passions outside of work?
I am a Carnatic classical vocalist. I’ve been doing it for 20 years, and was trained by my parents. I practice every morning, and it helps me focus and destress. Whenever possible, I perform at festivals and monthly concerts.
I also love traveling. You learn so much about yourself and others, and you learn to respect and appreciate different cultures. My first solo trip was to Vietnam, and last international trip was to Greece, and also love traveling within India. There are so many beautiful places to see in India. My last trip was to Sikkim, for example. For my next trip, I’d like to go to Switzerland, or see the Northern Lights.
Who have been your strongest influences?
My family has been supportive of everything I do, and I always seek their advice. My husband, Apoorva, inspires me with the passion I see him put into his job. He’s persistent and works hard to expand his business, and he’s very well-informed, not just about his industry, but about many things. It’s helped me realize that the more knowledge you possess, the better you become at whatever you do.
What sort of challenges have you faced getting to where you are today professionally? How did you overcome them?
I had to take a break from work following my pregnancy. This was a tough decision for me, and I was sure that coming back to a full-time IT job working in-office wouldn’t be possible. I had made up my mind to pursue a Carnatic music career, which would not require me to work full time.
But fortunately, remote work started gaining popularity, and became an accepted means to work effectively. I was able to resume my IT career, even though I had to make certain alterations to balance my professional and personal life. The important lesson is that if there’s a problem, there’s also a solution.
Where do you see yourself in the next few years? How is 6sense helping you get there?
I see myself growing into a mature engineer. There’s a plethora of learning opportunities available at 6sense that I can use to get where I want to be.
What advice would you give someone who is thinking about pursuing a career in your field?
The key is to have passion for any career or interest that you want to pursue. When you are passion-driven about something, you’ll find ways to learn and get better at it. You should strive to become better than you were yesterday until you become the best version of yourself.
With the internet, you have access to whatever information you want, so you can learn anything, including coding. Doing your research, seeing what is in demand, and getting into the right career at the right time is important.
