From India to Bangkok: Shruti’s Life at Agoda
- Shruti Shruti
- Senior Software Engineer, Engineering & Technology
- Lived in Bangkok since 2023
Before joining Agoda, I worked as a Software Engineer in one of the largest asset management firms in the world. The work was great, but my team was scattered across the USA and Europe, and I was the only team member based in India. I always felt like I needed to challenge myself more, and Agoda’s offer came at the perfect time. It helped me take more risks and grow in my profession as well as in my personal life by making the decision to move to Bangkok all by myself.
When I received the interview invite, I was excited to join because of the product. As I progressed through the interview stages, I really enjoyed all the discussions with my interviewers, specifically one of the Engineering Managers. I remember him telling me about his experience in Bangkok for almost 10 years, and listening to him share his story really excited me further and helped me finalize my decision to join Agoda in Bangkok.
A Day in a Life in The Fintech Team: Driving Impact for Our Business and Users
I work as a Backend Software Engineer in Payouts (Fintech), and I am also the scrum master for my team. My day-to-day work involves building applications through which Agoda can pay our suppliers and lead the Scrum/Agile meetings to keep track of my team’s progress on the project.
Fintech payments are key to the success of any e-commerce platform. At Agoda, we offer over 200 payment methods globally, with more than half being non-credit-card options. Managing this variety requires constant innovation and adaptability, like upgrading APIs to support new products or routing payments efficiently to merchants. Our tech teams work hard to overcome these challenges and provide a smooth payment experience for our customers. For example, one recent project that we’re working on includes a revamp project that will benefit our suppliers and help us increase company revenue, along with other creative projects I enjoy.
Why Agoda is an Exciting Workplace
My absolute favorite thing about working in Agoda is the opportunity to collaborate and work with people from around the world. I not only get to learn more about the cultures all around the world but also get to learn some technical skills from exceptionally talented engineers from different countries.
Beyond my daily work, there are plenty of opportunities to get involved in activities I’m passionate about and network with people from other departments. For example, I’m part of the Women@ Agoda Employee Resource Group, where we organize and host events like coffee and connect sessions with leadership and so many more. I also got the wonderful opportunity to organize our annual fintech CSR initiative along with other members of fintech domain, which brings together 70-90 people in the fintech area, and we are also preparing for a fintech-wide tech hackathon where teams can come together and have a nice time, building projects in a friendly competition setting.
Growing at Agoda: Learning by Doing
Every day, I learn something new, be it a different tech stack or a business aspect. This makes work feel exciting, as there’s always a new challenge and opportunity to grow my skillset. What I find fulfilling at Agoda is knowing how tightly tied the Tech projects are to Agoda’s business objective. It feels amazing to know how your work is impacting both the business and the end users.
Those new challenges help me improve and put my best foot forward. The tech stack consists of multiple languages and tools, so I get to learn them all during my day-to-day work. Also, I’ve always been interested in Product and Scrum work, so my team and manager were super helpful in giving me opportunities to step into that role and broaden my horizons.
The Tech at Agoda: A Global Environment and Diverse Stack
The tech stack in Agoda is split across multiple languages and tools like Scala, C#, and Kotlin. It’s great that teams have the flexibility to choose the tools that are more suitable for their systems.
The opportunity to collaborate with people from around the world and work on interesting projects is also one of the major points attracting Tech talent to Agoda. Lastly, I really like the fact that you get to work on normal day-to-day work, but there are also some great initiatives like Disaster Recovery (a project to ensure business continuity at Agoda in the event of a catastrophic disaster) that could further help you expand your skill set.
My Life in Bangkok: Fast-Paced, Comfortable, and Endless Possibilities
Even today, I still feel like it was one of the best decisions. Bangkok is a fast city with a charm of its own. Initially, a lot of people were skeptical and advised me against relocating here, stating reasons like there are not enough tech companies in Bangkok or it might not be a good option for a developer, but I’m glad I followed my gut feeling and moved here.
Agoda was super supportive throughout the process. They arranged the accommodations for my first month, the visa process was a breeze, and they even offered to help with my parents’ visa, which I’m grateful for. Pretty much everything was handled by Agoda, so it was such a smooth and stress-free process for me.
Bangkok is such a vibrant place; there’s something to do for everyone. When I moved, I didn’t know anyone in the city, no family or friends. I was honestly so worried. But Bangkok is such a welcoming place. People are kind and sweet. There are so many activities you can do on weekends, be it sports, board games events or movie night or some touristy activities from time to time. I’ve grown more comfortable with living by myself. The thought of eating alone at a cafe or restaurant used to make me so nervous but something about the city just makes me want to be more outgoing. I love my solo dates and spending time exploring the city.
Outside of work, I like to read a lot and explore Bangkok and its nearby areas on weekends, taking small day trips. Lately, I’ve been trying to get more into sports and be active, and I’m so grateful that Agoda also organizes great social and sporting activities for employees through the Agoda Life Groups, such as badminton, which is sponsored for employees.
Building Community in Bangkok: Cultural and Language Exchanges
At Agoda, all my colleagues are from different cultures and countries and it’s so much fun to share about each other’s culture. In fact, me and one of my colleagues even try to learn each other’s cultural language.
Recently, I have been learning Thai, and all of my teammates have been my biggest supporters, boosting my confidence even though my pronunciation was all wrong. I also teach Hindi to one of my teammates, and she’s so good that I feel so proud whenever she speaks in Hindi.
Also, there’s a huge Indian community in Bangkok so it still feels like home even if you are far away from your hometown/city.
If I were to advise someone nervous about starting fresh in a new city or workplace, I would say that I know how difficult it is to start new at a completely new place because I’ve been there. It was uncomfortable at first, but once the initial phase of nervousness/discomfort passes, there are so many great things and experiences waiting for you.
Cost of Living in Bangkok: A Higher Quality of Life
While Bangkok’s cost of living is higher than my home country, it comes with many advantages that make it worthwhile. The city offers excellent facilities like efficient transport, a high level of safety, and an overall better quality of life. Whenever I’m spending more, I have to mentally calibrate each time not to convert THB to INR(given that I am also earning in THB!).
Final Thoughts: Why Agoda is the Place to Be
If you’re considering joining Agoda in Bangkok, don’t think too hard about it and make the move. Agoda is such a great workplace to grow, and the city is really wonderful in its own way. Once you start living here, almost every city starts to pale in comparison. The amazing street food, kind people and the city’s vibe will just make you want to stay here for a long time. I’m thankful for having joined Agoda and for all the amazing people I keep meeting and working with. I feel I’m growing into a more confident person, professionally and personally.
