Starring Mubarak Shajahan , Senior Software Engineer at Galent, 5 years 3 months into the IT sector. I build products where full-stack engineering meets AI, and I write about it for 22,000+ developers.
Eight cases. Open a file for the context, the decision and what it changed.
The evidence board
Eight files on the board. Open one for the context, the decision and what it changed.
Case closed
EF Academy · 2024 · Software Development Engineer 2, sole developer on the platform
Replace the Tibco Scribe integration layer with AWS Glue
A licensed integration pipeline was replaced with AWS Glue before the licence ended, cutting the annual cost from $24,000 to $840.
Context. EF Academy's Salesforce integrations and data transformations ran on Tibco Scribe under a licence that cost $24,000 a year and had an end date. The pipelines fed daily operations, so the replacement had to finish before the contract ran out and could not interrupt the business.
Decision. Rebuild the integration layer on AWS Glue, broken into clear steps with progress shared regularly, and cut over before the Tibco contract ended.
$24,000 → $840Annual integration cost
96.5%Saving
Finished before the Tibco contract ended, with no disruption to daily operationsDelivery
$30,000 a yearLicensing fees, as the VP of Technology counts them
EF Academy · 2023 · Software Development Engineer 2, sole developer on the marketing platform
Let content teams run localization themselves inside Storyblok
The multilingual marketing platform serving 1.25M+ monthly users across 23+ languages got a translation workflow its content teams could run without engineering.
Context. EF Academy's primary digital presence is a high-traffic, multilingual marketing site built on Next.js and Storyblok with Salesforce and AWS integrations, maintained and evolved by one engineer. Every localization project that needed an engineer in the loop slowed the content teams down.
Decision. Deliver a translation workflow inside Storyblok so content teams can run localization projects end to end, and keep the platform's engineering effort on performance, SEO, and integrations.
1.25M+Monthly users
23+Languages
Content teams execute projects autonomouslyLocalization
EF Academy · 2023 · Software Development Engineer 2
Move lead uploads to a serverless Prospect Uploader with validation
CSV lead uploads into Salesforce became an AWS Lambda and EventBridge pipeline that validates in every language, alerts by email, and shows failures in a Prospect Viewer.
Context. Marketing teams upload prospect lists of 10,000+ rows into Salesforce. Rows arrive from many countries, so validation has to understand multilingual data, and a silent failure means lost leads.
Decision. Build the uploader as event-driven Lambda functions on EventBridge, validate every row with multilingual rules, alert by email, and give stakeholders a Prospect Viewer for failures and insights.
10,000+Leads handled per upload
Validation failures and lead-quality insights surfaced to stakeholdersVisibility
Rebuild the Incresco and Camped marketing sites on Astro and Storyblok
A redesign on Astro and Storyblok with customizable page builders reached 100% Lighthouse scores and let campaigns launch across 23+ languages.
Context. The Incresco and Camped marketing sites needed a comprehensive redesign with better SEO and sitemap performance, and marketing wanted to launch campaigns in many languages without waiting on engineering.
Decision. Rebuild on Astro and Storyblok with customizable page builders, and treat Lighthouse and sitemap quality as acceptance criteria.
100% across the boardLighthouse
Accelerated across 23+ languagesCampaign launches
Astro
Storyblok
SEO
Case closed
Incresco · 2023 · Software Development Engineer 2
Push live utility data to the Planet dashboards over SignalR
The Planet SIM and Planet Business IoT web apps show live utility management and real-time water service status for apartment communities.
Context. Planet SIM and Planet Business monitor utilities for apartment communities. Operators need to see service status as it changes, with Firebase authentication and REST APIs behind the apps.
Decision. Direct the IoT web apps with Firebase auth and REST APIs for commands, and SignalR for the real-time dashboards.
Real-time status for apartment communitiesWater service tracking
SignalR
Firebase
IoT
Case closed
Incresco · 2022 · SDE 1, after an SDE internship
Keep Edvanza's web and mobile apps in feature parity with one front-end team
Leading four front-end engineers, core Edvanza modules shipped across React and React Native with parity between web and mobile.
Context. Edvanza runs on React for the web and React Native for iOS and Android. As a junior engineer Mubarak owned the Jobs and Learn modules across all three and completed 1,300+ pull requests during ramp-up; as Software Engineer he led the four-person front-end team.
Decision. Deliver core modules to React and React Native together, mentor the team, keep stakeholders aligned, and hold the quality line through code review and hiring.
Four front-end engineers led and mentoredTeam
37% of the organisation'sPull requests reviewed
30+ candidate evaluations on the technical panelInterviews
Incresco · Global University Systems · 2025 · Software Development Engineer 2
Classify and extract incoming documents with GPT-4 Vision and OCR
GPT-4 Vision and OCR validation APIs for CampusNet and the BGV system classify 17+ document types at 95% accuracy, cut manual data entry by 70%, and catch fraud through cross-document validation.
Context. Admissions teams at Global University Systems received student documents of many kinds and keyed them in by hand. Volume grew, accuracy suffered, and compliance checks against Anabin and ECCTIS took effort nobody had.
Decision. Build document processing APIs on GPT-4 Vision and OCR with confidence scoring and review thresholds, and extend the same approach to qualification matching for compliance automation.
95% across 17+ document typesAccuracy
Cut by 70%, processing 7× fasterManual data entry
Accuracy up 40%+ on payslips, EPFO records, certificatesComplex documents
Fraud detection via cross-document validation; effort down 60%+Compliance
GPT-4 Vision
OCR
LLMs
Compliance
Case closed
Incresco · Global University Systems · 2025 · Software Development Engineer 2
Automate student application workflows with Chrome extensions
Production Manifest V3 extensions for BSBI and GISMA automate student application workflows, with PDF.js extraction cutting processing time 50%+, saving admins 3–5 hours a day at 99.9% uptime.
Context. Admin teams worked application workflows by hand inside third-party web tools that could not be changed.
Decision. Build and ship Manifest V3 Chrome extensions that automate the student application workflows admins repeat every day.
3–5 hours per admin per dayTime saved
99.9% uptimeReliability
Chrome Extensions
Manifest V3
Automation
←→ move between files.Tap a folder to open it.
Chapter 2 · Nine witnesses
Every word verbatim. Nothing paraphrased.
The line-up
Nine people who worked with me, against the wall. Pick one and they step forward.
“He consistently took the time to fully understand requirements, asked the right questions, and delivered high-quality solutions.”
The full statement · 2 paragraphs, verbatim
I had the pleasure of working with Mohammed on several ad hoc tasks, and he always impressed me with his attentiveness and professionalism. He consistently took the time to fully understand requirements, asked the right questions, and delivered high-quality solutions.
Beyond his technical skills as a developer, what really stood out was his patience and collaborative attitude. He makes working together easy and enjoyable, and he brings a calm even when facing challenges. I would gladly recommend Mohammed to any team looking for a reliable, skilled, and thoughtful professional.
Andrea Devis Matheus · Senior SEO Manager, EF Education First
“Mubarak not only identified and broke down the root causes of problems but also worked hands-on to fix them through coding, testing, and successful deployment into production.”
The full statement · 2 paragraphs, verbatim
I had the pleasure of collaborating with Mubarak during our Worldwide Kids projects with Incresco. As one of our direct contacts, he demonstrated excellent communication skills, always clear in explaining any issues and highly efficient in resolving them.
Mubarak not only identified and broke down the root causes of problems but also worked hands-on to fix them through coding, testing, and successful deployment into production. It's been a real pleasure working with Mubarak, both professionally and personally. He's a great teammate, and I truly value the successful collaboration we have together.
“One standout achievement was his implementation of a new integration layer using AWS Glue to replace our existing Tibco Scribe solution – a move that not only improved our system performance but also saved us $30,000 annually in licensing fees.”
The full statement · 5 paragraphs, verbatim
I've had the pleasure of working with Mohammed Mubarak as our Lead Fullstack Developer for the past two years, and I can confidently say he's one of those rare engineers who combines technical excellence with genuine business acumen.
As the sole developer responsible for our marketing website at EF Academy, Mohammed has maintained and evolved our primary digital presence while simultaneously leading the development of critical backend applications for integration and data transformation needs. His ability to juggle both frontend excellence and complex backend systems speaks to his versatility as a true full-stack engineer.
Mohammed has been the backbone of our technology operations, keeping our systems running smoothly while continuously implementing new features that directly impact our users. His custom applications for Salesforce integration have streamlined our data workflows significantly, enabling seamless data uploads and transformations. One standout achievement was his implementation of a new integration layer using AWS Glue to replace our existing Tibco Scribe solution – a move that not only improved our system performance but also saved us $30,000 annually in licensing fees.
What really sets Mohammed apart is his approach to new projects. He doesn't just dive into coding – he conducts thorough research, presents multiple options with clear pros and cons, and helps guide decision-making from both technical and business perspectives. His backend applications consistently feature excellent UI/UX design, showing he truly understands the full user experience.
Mohammed delivers top-notch work consistently, and his collaborative approach makes complex technical decisions feel manageable. Whether it's maintaining our marketing website or architecting complex data integration solutions, I'd recommend him without hesitation for any software engineering project – he's the kind of developer every tech leader hopes to find. Any organization would be lucky to have Mohammed on their team.
Jason Wheeler · Vice President of Technology, EF Academy
“Thanks to Mohammed's hard work and steady communication, the entire migration finished on time—before our Tibco contract ended—and with no disruption to our daily operations.”
The full statement · 3 paragraphs, verbatim
We worked with Mohammed on a major project to move our data pipelines from Tibco to AWS Glue. It was a complex task with a tight deadline, but Mohammed handled it with great organization and calm focus.
He broke the migration into clear steps, shared progress regularly, and always made sure everyone understood what was happening next. His careful planning meant that when challenges came up, we could solve them quickly without slowing the project down.
Thanks to Mohammed's hard work and steady communication, the entire migration finished on time—before our Tibco contract ended—and with no disruption to our daily operations. He's reliable, easy to work with, and truly takes ownership of his work. I'd be glad to work with him again.
John Squier · Director of Educational Technology (Global), EF Academy
“He communicates clearly, adapts quickly to fast-paced requests, and consistently finds ways to bridge the gap between design and development smoothly.”
The full statement · 2 paragraphs, verbatim
I had the pleasure of collaborating with Mohammed while working on the design and development of a blog and website during my time at EF Academy. As the UX/UI designer on the project, I found working with him was effortless. He communicates clearly, adapts quickly to fast-paced requests, and consistently finds ways to bridge the gap between design and development smoothly.
His technical expertise made the collaboration not only productive but genuinely enjoyable. I truly appreciated the professionalism he brought to the project, and I would gladly work with him again on future collaborations.
“What stood out to me was his ability to make complex things easy to understand and explain them clearly and calmly, which made collaboration so smooth and productive.”
The full statement · 3 paragraphs, verbatim
Mohammed was such a great support across multiple projects at EF Academy. He was always quick to jump in, happy to help, and incredibly patient.
What stood out to me was his ability to make complex things easy to understand and explain them clearly and calmly, which made collaboration so smooth and productive. His reliability and adaptability ensured that deliverables were always on time and aligned with the project's needs.
On top of all that, Mohammed is just a great person to work with—cheerful, approachable, and bringing positive energy to every call!
Minon Weber · Talent Engagement Specialist, Zurich, EF
“He had a strong ability to understand customer requirements clearly and translate them into efficient, user-friendly web solutions.”
The full statement · 3 paragraphs, verbatim
I had the pleasure of working with Mubarak for one year, during which time he consistently demonstrated exceptional skills as a web developer. He was quick to identify and resolve issues, and his experience in web development was evident in every project we worked on.
He had a strong ability to understand customer requirements clearly and translate them into efficient, user-friendly web solutions. What stood out most was his dedication to client satisfaction—always making sure the final product met or exceeded expectations.
Mubarak is reliable, skilled, and a valuable asset to any development team. I highly recommend him for any web development role.
Naga Venkata Sai Kotha · Certified Salesforce Administrator & Developer
Four issues on the rack, newest first. Pull one down.
The rack
Senior Software Engineer
Galent · Full-time · Hybrid · Chennai
May 2026 → Now
Now
Enterprise application modernisation
Building AI-powered features for enterprise applications using LLMs, RAG, and agentic workflows.
Driving migration of legacy systems to a modern stack: React, TypeScript, Node.js, and cloud-native AWS services.
Re-architecting enterprise applications for scalability, performance, and long-term maintainability.
Collaborating with cross-functional teams to ship secure, production-ready releases.
LLMs
RAG
Agentic workflows
React
TypeScript
Node.js
AWS
Software Development Engineer 2
Incresco · Full-time · Bengaluru
Oct 2022 → May 2026
Promoted from SDE 1 · 3 years 8 months
Global University Systems · admin, automation and AI
Built a full-stack course pricing & discount management platform (React, TypeScript, Flask) handling hundreds of courses across regions and intakes; TanStack Table views cut admin lookup time 60%+; JWT-based RBAC for access.
Integrated OpenAI for course content generation, reducing manual effort by about 80%.
Anabin & ECCTIS automation: a Flask compliance API automating university recognition checks (H+, H-, H+/-); Playwright automation with session reuse cut latency about 40%; AI qualification matching with confidence scoring improved accuracy 35%+; audit-ready verification with screenshot pipelines and caching.
Chrome Extensions (BSBI + GISMA, Manifest V3) automating student application workflows, saving 3–5 hours per admin per day; PDF.js document extraction cut processing time 50%+; AI document classification across 17+ types at 95% accuracy; manual data entry down 70%, processing 7× faster, 99.9% uptime with local caching and retries.
AI document processing (CampusNet + BGV system): GPT-4 Vision and OCR validation APIs extracting structured data; orchestrator pipelines for multi-document classification; accuracy up 40%+ on payslips, EPFO records and certificates; fraud detection through cross-document validation with Anabin, cutting compliance effort 60%+.
Webster University application portal (NestJS, React, MongoDB): the full admissions lifecycle; JWT auth with HTTP-only cookies and CSRF protection; multi-step application with resume capability; encrypted email and SendGrid campaigns; Docker + Nginx production builds.
EF Academy
Spearheaded a high-traffic multilingual marketing site on Next.js, Storyblok and AWS serving 1.25M+ monthly users in 23+ languages.
Led the TIBCO → AWS Glue migration, cutting annual costs from $24,000 to $840 (96.5%) with automated, scalable pipelines.
Built the Prospect Uploader (AWS Lambda, EventBridge, Salesforce CRM): 10,000+ leads per CSV with multilingual support, email alerts, and a validation UI to view and edit failed records; the client's reaction was a “Wow”.
Built the Prospect Viewer to list leads, surface validation failures and alert stakeholders.
Found and rolled out a translation tool in Storyblok with the team; the client wrote to say thanks.
Incresco & Camped marketing sites
Led the Incresco revamp and built the Camped site with customizable UIs on Astro + Storyblok: 100% performance, accessibility and best-practice scores, improved SEO and sitemap generation.
Planet SIM & Planet Business
Directed Planet SIM, an IoT app for apartment utilities with real-time updates over SignalR; managed Planet Business, real-time water service tracking with Firebase auth and REST APIs.
React
TypeScript
Flask
NestJS
MongoDB
OpenAI
GPT-4 Vision
OCR
Playwright
Chrome Extensions
Next.js
Storyblok
AWS Glue
Lambda
EventBridge
Salesforce
Astro
SignalR
Firebase
Docker
Software Development Engineer 1
Incresco · Full-time · Bengaluru
May 2022 → Sept 2022
Promoted to SDE 2 within five months
Edvanza
Led a frontend team of four developers: training, assigning tasks, mentoring and delegating.
Contributed to strategic planning and execution of key Edvanza modules aligned with business objectives.
Served as Technical Panelist, interviewing 30+ candidates across experience levels.
Reviewed 37% of all pull requests to uphold code quality and consistency.
How the site's opening became a motion comic: rejected loaders, a 14-strip CSS page curl, recorded music and effects timed to their peaks, and why it waits for a click.
Twelve deploys, one score at a time: contrast fixes, llms.txt, a Tamil font stall worth 600 ms, content-visibility, and the Lighthouse noise that caps mobile at 99.
A portfolio does not need to rank for 'software engineer'. It needs to win your own name, then earn long-tail pages that prove the claim. What Google's guides say to do.
