Our cheerful and cheerful colleague Divya has been one of our DevHeroes for over 8 years. She once started as an intern and now she is an Android developer and team lead of the Android team! Besides work, Divya is busy with her own business of making chocolates, brownies and bread.

Introduce yourself!
Hello all. I am Divya Jain and have been working as an intern at DevRepublic since December 2013. Since April 2014 I have been employed as an Android developer.

And what are your skills?
As an Android developer I mainly work with Java and Kotlin. I have also worked a lot in cross platform projects such as PhoneGap, Angular, Onsen, Ionic, Flutter.

In addition, I have also gained a lot of experience with Beacons, NFC - Android development tools and release process - HTTP, JSON, XML, REST, KML - Supporting libraries and third-party libraries, Google Play Services MVC, MVP Basics - MVVM architecture, AppGyver ( app development platform), Google Chart, Custom OAuth 2.0, barcode scanning and BLE products.

What do you enjoy working at DevRepublic?
The culture is very friendly, accessible and growth is stimulated.

And what are you most proud of?
I started at DevRepublic as an intern. After that I continued to learn and develop and in the end I received the rating as “Employee of the month”. But also by the management, because now after 7 years I have been Teamleader of the Android team since this month. I am extremely grateful to DevRepublic for this opportunity and trust.

So you stand your ground?
Hell yes! In general, fewer women work in IT than men, but that makes no difference. If you work hard and have dedication, you can get the opportunity you are looking for in any company, both men and women

What does your working day look like?
Right now, like everyone else, I work from home. I start the day with a cup of coffee or sometimes green tea and we have the team meeting at 10.30. Then I start with my outstanding tasks. When I am (again) at the office, we first gather at the coffee machine and the sofa. There we have a chat with colleagues, followed by a stand-up. Then let's get started!

But the office has been closed for a year, so what's it like to work from home?
For me, the Covid period is more difficult than the period before, because my father had an accident just before the lockdown and he was in the ICU while the land was closed. Fortunately, I get support from my employer, even now that I take care of my father. So in that respect, mandatory working from home really came as a blessing, because now I can also take care of my father. I do miss my colleagues and everyday office life, but the time I can spend with my family now is very valuable.

What do you like about working with Dutch people?
Everyone is so very friendly and always willing to listen to your thoughts and ideas. There is support, in good times and bad.

When I look at the customers and projects I notice that the Dutch always have a good vision and planning. Also, the customer usually has technical knowledge, so it is easy to explain technical aspects.

What typical Dutch things do you like?
I really like the small wooden clogs as key rings. And I really like peppermint.

What do you think is the biggest difference in Indian and Dutch culture?
I think the Dutch are more likely to say no. In India we are sometimes too scared to say no. So in that respect I learn to say no more from the Dutch culture.

Can you tell me a little more about yourself, privately? Do you have hobbies, sports, things you do in your spare time?
I am a real foodie and love to make recipes in my spare time. I do that mainly for my own chocolate company. For this I make various types of chocolates, brownies and bread. If you like it please visit my Instagram and Facebook page.