Industry-Aligned Curriculum and Co-op Create a Path to Career Success
Rigorous academics, multiple coding opportunities, and a co-op have led Ruchika Shashidhara, MS’25, software engineering systems, on a path to career success.
Ruchika Shashidhara, MS’25, software engineering systems, has built a strong foundation in backend system development through both academics and hands-on experiences.
Prior to joining Northeastern, Shashidhara earned a computer science and technology undergraduate degree from PES University in Bangalore, India. She also worked as a software development engineer at Navi Technologies, a financial technology (fintech) startup where she developed reliable backend microservices using Java Spring, AWS, and SQL.
Shashidhara chose Northeastern for its industry-aligned curriculum and the invaluable co-op program, which enabled her to gain real-world experience. She tailored her coursework to enhance her system design skills, taking classes such as Special Topics in Computer Systems Engineering – Design Patterns, Network Structures and Cloud Computing, and Data Management and Database Design. She credits Wupin Wan and Tejas Parikh, adjunct faculty members in the Multidisciplinary Engineering Graduate (MGEN) program, and MGEN Associate Teaching Professor Robin Hillyard for enhancing her education with well-structured technical courses.
Additionally, she credits Jessica Fisher and Debbie Hayes, associate co-op coordinators of Multidisciplinary Masters Co-op Programs for their guidance on job search strategies, resume building, and interview preparation.
During her co-op search, Shashidhara targeted fintech companies for backend system engineering roles. She secured multiple offers, ultimately accepting a position at First Help Financial as a software development engineer co-op. There, she contributed to the loan origination team by optimizing workflows, enhancing vehicle lookup processes, and generalizing document uploads using Java Spring, AWS, and SQL. She received strong positive feedback from her manager for her reliability and attention to detail.
Shashidhara’s academic journey has also included hands-on projects that reinforced her technical expertise. She built a cloud-native web app with RESTful APIs, PostgreSQL, Pub/Sub messaging, and CI/CD pipelines. Additionally, she worked on a group project to create a centralized platform for student clubs at Northeastern, integrating GenAI-powered event poster creation.
Beyond academics, Shashidhara has participated in Google coding challenges and LeetCode sessions. As an undergraduate, she published a research paper and won multiple hackathons. She enjoys exploring museums, hiking, and swimming, and appreciates the vibrant student community at Northeastern.
Her goal is to work on large-scale software solutions, particularly in AI-driven environments. She hopes to contribute as both a technician and a leader by driving impactful projects in the industry.