From coder to coach: How Chitra Muthukumaran passes on the gift of education at Freshworks

“Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world.”
– Nelson Mandela

For 15 long years, Chitra Muthukumaran has worked in engineering roles. But inside the brightly-lit halls of the Freshworks Software Academy in Chennai, she’s more famous as ‘Chitra Akka’ (elder sister in Tamil). As their technical head coach, she has touched the lives of many students – teaching them everything from web development and problem-solving to building self-confidence and essential life skills (including how to report domestic violence as well).

The Freshworks Software Academy (also known as the STS School of Software) is a program exclusively designed for aspirants of a career in technology who do not have the means to afford formal education after high school.

“Just like I progressed, I want them to succeed in their lives without letting their backgrounds come in the way of their education,” she says in a watercooler conversation for ‘A Freshworker’s Life’ series.

A life of striving, with learnings along the way

Coming from a “humble background,” Chitra did not get a chance to attend college like others. But, instead of considering her lack of “formal education a barrier” to her growth, she spent time observing and learning from her mentors about everything from grooming to books, movies, games and traveling.

When Chitra was 17, she was selected for a vocational training opportunity with an Indian multinational technology company that makes web-based business tools in Chennai. At that time, Girish Mathrubootham (founder and CEO, Freshworks) and Shan Krishnasamy (co-founder and CTO, Freshworks) were also working in the same company. After six months of software training, Chitra joined G’s team as a customer support engineer in 2006 and quickly moved her way up to leading the quality assurance (QA) team. Seeing her passion, Shan promoted her to a software developer, she felt she must “justify” the tag that came with her title.

I wanted to earn the ‘engineer’ title. I feel that education is the best thing to grow in life, so I enrolled for a master’s degree in computer application through distance education.

During this time, Chitra often volunteered to train other students and even offered guest lectures. “That’s when I realized my true passion for teaching and mentoring,” she beams. 

Fresh horizons

It was a bright day, brimming with hope when Chitra had a conversation that would eventually change the course of her life. It was in 2016, and G and Shan had already moved on to found Freshworks (then Freshdesk). “One day, Shan called me to say they were building a team to create a new project management solution and asked me, ‘Why don’t you join us?’ I said, ‘Yes, of course!’ And that is how I began my Freshworks journey.”

Chitra joined Freshrelease as the first developer, where she “loved training the interns and new joiners in my team.” Witnessing her passion one day, her manager Shanmuga Anandaraman (Director, Social Impact at Freshworks), approached her about an opportunity to teach at the Freshworks Software Academy. And she replied with an emphatic yes.

I really liked the initiative. It spoke to me. Since I was a beneficiary of a similar initiative when I started my career, I felt it was a great opportunity for me to give back to the community and help other underprivileged students thrive. That’s how I got into the academy.

Freshworks Software Academy (FWSA)

Chitra calls her time with FSWA “the most rewarding experience of my life” and thanks “G and Shan and the entire CSR team for the learnings.” Keep reading to learn about this inspiring Freshworker.

In early 2021, Chitra started mentoring the first batch of 13 students at FWSA. At first, she had her reservations.

I have 15 years of engineering experience, but some of my friends thought I had taken up coaching just to sit back and take it easy.

But ‘easy’ is the last word she would use to describe this key moment in her life. 

“Trust me, coaching isn’t easy,” she says, “You’ll debate on which tech stack to use for training; you’ll second-guess if the curriculum and assessment you’ve designed are right for them; you’ll constantly worry that new coding concepts are affecting your student’s motivation levels.” Public speaking and “addressing large gatherings” were also not easy for her when she started. 

Chitra says it’s a common misconception that a good coder automatically qualifies as a good coach, adding that “teaching students required me to revisit the concepts that I knew at a greater depth. It brought out many blind spots that I had operated with over the years.”

And yet, after the very first day, Chitra remembers feeling a different kind of contentment.

I love all things technology. So coding felt great, but the opportunity to touch the lives of these children by teaching them coding feels greater.

Chitra believes in the mantra of learning by doing. “Throughout the training, I played to their interests and strengths. Then, I helped put them into practice by making my students create what they envisioned. After their training, we placed all thirteen of them according to their capabilities.” 

Working with the second batch of “30 young minds this time,” she has come a long way in teaching others and herself the road to self-discovery. “I learn from my students every day. One of my students, the son of a grocer, developed an e-commerce website. A student labeled as ‘good-for-nothing’ by his teachers in school created a school management system.” The list is endless, and so are her learnings. 

Chitra hopes to start her own venture of helping underprivileged children someday.

Interested in working with passionate Freshworkers like Chitra who have discovered their potential, passion, and purpose at work? Look no further! At Freshworks, we empower people who power businesses, and we are hiring across roles.

Cover and image design: Saikat Das
Video design: Mohamed Sahib and Aadhithya Sivaramanyamini