This blog series is dedicated to celebrating our Black, Latinx, and Women Engineers who are making an impact in the lives of our Gusties and Gustomers (Gusto customers) every day.

Today, we’re spotlighting Maham Boghani, who has been with Gusto for 3 years. She spent two years on the Big Friendly Payroll Team before transitioning to the Time Tools team last year.

Kevin: How did you join Gusto?

Maham: Prior to being at Gusto, I was at UKG (formerly Ultimate Software), where I interned. When I transitioned to full time, the person who helped me through that process, Shawn, actually moved to Gusto shortly after. And, following him, two or three more people from my team also made the move!

Even though a lot of my friends jumped over, I wanted to make sure I would be happy there too. So I called up Shawn to ask about Gusto because for me, it’s important that I’m at a company with a culture that aligns with what I’m looking for. Shawn had nothing but great things to say about Gusto, so I decided to apply. I worked with Jeff from the recruiting team and really enjoyed the process. Now, I’ve been here for about three years, and I’m really happy I made the move!

Kevin: In your role here at Gusto, what has been one of your proudest accomplishments/impacts you have had on the SMB customers we serve?

Maham: At Gusto, we have something called Gong Calls, which are recorded sessions where our researchers ask customers for feedback on our products. I happened to listen to one session where the customer was giving feedback on the project I’m currently working on. As she walked through her workflow, she was raving about the auto-save feature in payroll, which I had worked on previously. Since we don’t usually get to hear feedback firsthand, hearing her excitement made me so happy! Seeing the direct impact of my work and how thrilled she was because it made her life easier — that absolutely made my day.

Kevin: How has Gusto played a role and supported you in your journey as an engineer?

Maham: One thing I love about Gusto is that when I express what I want to work on, it’s taken seriously. Not only am I given the opportunity, but I’m also set up with the best chance to succeed. All of my managers have done a great job of not just getting things done, but also aligning with what the engineers want. They make sure we’re growing and getting to work on things we enjoy. In the end, I feel like the people at Gusto are what truly define the culture, and it really shows.

I come from a non-traditional background and don’t have a computer science degree. Early in my career and even when I first joined Gusto, I struggled with major imposter syndrome. But with the support I received, the opportunities I was given, and seeing that I’m capable, I barely feel it anymore! Completing projects has definitely helped, but the positive reinforcement and encouragement from my teammates has had an even bigger impact. Honestly, I can’t even remember the last time I felt imposter syndrome!

I know it never goes away, but it’s been at an all time low since I’ve been here.

Kevin: What makes you excited about the work you do to serve SMB customers here at Gusto?

Maham: It’s similar to the auto-save feature — seeing the direct impact and knowing we’re making our customers’ lives easier.

Sometimes, when we’re building out a product, it’s easy to forget that there’s an end user — a real person trying to make a living and create an impact. That’s why I love seeing our customers’ stories during Gusto All Hands. It’s a reminder of the real difference we’re making in their lives.

Kevin: What advice would you give to someone looking to break into engineering or are just getting started?

Maham: Coming from a non-traditional background wasn’t easy — it was pretty daunting. I started in accounting as an IT Auditor. I was always the kind of person who had everything planned out; I even had a job lined up before I graduated. But I ended up giving that up because I wasn’t passionate about it. I remembered the AP Computer Science class I had taken and how much I enjoyed programming, so I decided to take a chance on it. Instead of going to grad school, I accepted a software engineering internship at UKG. The first few teams I worked with didn’t really pan out, but I was fortunate to meet my mentor, Shawn. He took a chance on me and gave me an opportunity that really helped shape my career.

In the end, I’m incredibly grateful for my mentor, and I’m also really proud of the work I put in. At the end of the day, we don’t have control over the outcome — all we can do is put in the hard work and be proud of what we accomplish.

Kevin: What does your typical day at Gusto look like? What are your favorite parts of the day?

Maham: Being on the East Coast, I get some solid heads-down coding time in the mornings. As a major introvert, I love that quiet time when I don’t have to talk to anyone and can just focus on my work. By the time 1 p.m. rolls around, my meetings start, and my coffee has kicked in and I’ve made decent progress.

There are two parts of my day that I really love: First, the heads-down coding in the morning. Even though it can get frustrating when you’re stuck, where figuring out the problem can take way longer than the actual coding, the challenge excites me. It’s part of what makes the work fulfilling.

Second, during our standups, we ask fun, random questions that aren’t work-related. One example was, “What classic movie have you never seen that everyone else has?” It helps us learn more about each other and build deeper connections. We also have a “Pun of the day” segment, which one of my teammates pretends to hate, but I know they secretly love it!

Kevin: What’s something that working at Gusto has taught you that you will continue to take with you in your career as you grow?

Maham: When you’re in school, you’re taught to embrace the grind — put in the hours and just work, work, work. I used to think that way, but during my senior year of college, my dad got sick, and he eventually passed away. That experience completely changed my perspective on life.

You never know what tomorrow holds. I started reevaluating what I really wanted. Did I want to look back on my life and just see endless hours of work? That’s when the importance of good culture became clear to me.

At Gusto, the people drive the culture, and “culture” isn’t just a buzzword for me. If I’m going to spend so much of my time working, I want it to be with people I genuinely enjoy being around. A lot of my coworkers at Gusto have become close friends. We meet up outside of work, I know their families, and I’ve been to their weddings, birthdays, and baby showers.

Kevin: How have you sponsored other engineers? Is sponsoring other engineers an important aspect of your role?

Maham: I’ve had the opportunity to serve as an onboarding buddy for a few engineers. Gusto has been so amazing to me, and I want to be that entry point for others as they start their journey and continue to grow in their careers. I still check in with my previous onboarding buddies to make sure they feel supported and to see how they’re progressing.

Sponsoring other engineers is really important to me because I’m where I am today thanks to the people who supported me and took a chance on me. That’s why paying it forward matters so much to me — it feels good to help others. There’s also a lot of personal growth that comes from mentoring someone else. I hope to continue sponsoring more engineers as I move forward in my career.

Kevin: What are some resources you’ve learned from? Any particular role models?

Maham: When I started at Gusto, I didn’t know any Ruby, and I hadn’t worked much with React either. I relied on LinkedIn Learning and other online courses to get up to speed.

But beyond that, the people here at Gusto have taught me so much. Just yesterday, I got stuck on something, so I posted in our engineering channel. Three people immediately jumped in with suggestions and ideas. It was so touching that they took the time to help me out, even though they have their own priorities. It really showed me that I’m in the right place, surrounded by people who, even if they don’t know me well, are always down to help.

I’ve also had some amazing role models here, especially in my managers. My first manager, Glen Oliff, is one of the most genuine people you’ll ever meet. I couldn’t have asked for a better first manager at Gusto! My current manager, Neela Balkaran, is just as incredible. When I started as an intern, she was an engineer, and I’d always seen those leadership qualities in her. I’ve been so lucky with my manager track record — I’ve had the best ones!

Kevin: What advice would you give to a senior engineer on how to start operating at the Staff+ level here at Gusto?

Maham: Being curious is key. A lot of the qualities that define a senior engineer involve thinking outside the box, asking questions that aren’t on the agenda, taking initiative, and driving ideas forward with ownership.

These questions and ideas might not have been part of the original equation, but they often help the team pivot or shape the next features we work on. It’s that curiosity and willingness to explore new paths that make a big difference.

Kevin: How are you involved with ALPFA (the Association of Latino Professionals for America)?

Maham: The job opportunity I had lined up after college was actually through ALPFA. While I’m not Latinx, the chapter at my campus was so welcoming, and I never felt out of place. I ended up being part of the executive board and stayed involved throughout college.

ALPFA was the largest community on campus because they would bring in someone every Friday for us to network with. They played a big role in getting me to where I am in my career, so I love that Gusto is committed to giving back to the community and helping make these opportunities possible for others.

I think ALPFA is an amazing organization that opened so many doors for me, and I’m proud to see Gusto opening doors for others in the same way.

I had also been active in other affinity groups at Gusto and attended meetings for Juntos (for Hispanic/Latinx employees and allies), Asians with Gusto, and Women with Gusto. These communities are so important to Gusto and serve as a driver of culture, understanding, connection, and awareness.

Kevin: Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us!

Maham: Thank you! It reminded me of why I’m here. I definitely see myself staying here, and I just love the people I work with.

Our interviewers are Kevin and Ashley. Kevin works on Gusto’s Invite Team to hire software engineering talent, while Ashley builds features to improve the partner developer experience as part of Gusto Embedded.

If you are interested in building solutions that solve real-world problems in an inclusive and diverse environment, reach out to us on our career pages!

Gusto Eng Spotlight Series: Maham Boghani was originally published in Gusto Engineering on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.