This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Gautami Nadkarni, 33, who lives in New Jersey. The following has been edited for length and clarity.
In 2024, six years into my time at Google, I started questioning myself.
I joined as a customer engineer in the Google Cloud org in 2018. My job was to design scalable cloud solutions that would help Google’s enterprise customers manage their data and operations. At the time, cloud computing was the thing everyone in the industry was talking about.
By 2023 and 2024, AI was cropping up more in my projects and client conversations. In one, customers said they wanted to implement AI in every part of their business. It felt like a huge shift, and I saw the writing on the wall of where the industry was headed.
By early 2025, I made moves to pivot my career into AI. In November 2025, I transitioned at Google from a customer engineer who focused on infrastructure and data analytics at different times to one specializing in AI.
Instead of shielding myself from disruptions that AI was causing in my industry, my “inner voice” told me to move towards them, and it paid off.
I wasn’t sure I was smart enough to work on AI, but I needed to be uncomfortable to grow
I was interested in AI for years before 2023’s chatbot boom, but I wasn’t sure if I was smart enough to work on something so complicated. As AI grew more prominent, I realized I needed to think about my career strategically.
I knew that to grow, I’d need to be uncomfortable and that just saying “I’m interested in AI” at networking events without proof of work wouldn’t get me anywhere. Instead of overthinking, I jumped into AI upskilling in late 2024.
Courtesy of Gautami Nadkarni
I followed the “80/20” rule, spending 80% of my week on my existing role and using AI to automate parts of my role to free up 20% of time for AI upskilling. For example, I’d use AI to take meeting notes and produce action items, but I’d also work after hours when I needed to finish a critical part of my job.
To learn more about AI, I completed a GenAI certification, watched YouTube videos, and used AI to teach me about itself. I dumped resources, like PDFs, into NotebookLM, which can produce audio overviews and visual aids, and answer your questions about the information you feed it. I used it like a personal tutor, asking it to quiz me on core concepts.
I also used AI to create an automated newsletter that would email me every morning at 9 a.m., showing me the top five or 10 news articles about general developments in the AI world.
Within my role, I took advantage of opportunities to improve my AI skills. If a customer had an AI-specific issue, I would take on the challenge myself before going to one of Google’s AI experts and asking them for feedback on how I addressed the problem.
Networking helped me gain more confidence
I aimed to meet one new person in the AI space every two weeks, both in and outside of Google, and I used my Fridays to book time on my calendar with others. They’d tell me how they pivoted into their career, and I’d think through how I could replicate their success.
I asked one person with a Ph.D in AI if I needed one to work in this field, who assured me it wasn’t necessary. This kind of encouragement while networking helped me feel less intimidated about entering AI.
I started networking with my peers, and then I spoke with marketing teams at Google, who’d said they were looking for technically proficient Google employees to represent the company at speaking events. I asked if there were any AI-related speaking opportunities I could volunteer for, which led to my first speaking engagement. I presented a new Google AI product I had prior experience using in my role, and also about Google’s agentic AI vision.
Since then, I’ve done several speaking engagements at AI-focused events, which have helped me work toward being an industry leader in this space.
I see my career pivot as future-defining, not just future-proofing
In August 2025, I saw a role open internally at Google for a customer engineer in AI and machine learning within the Google Cloud org.
The interview process tested my AI skills, and my interviewers said they’d seen me putting myself out there in the AI space. I feel like all the personal brand building I did put me in a better position.
I started in November 2025. My role is still customer-facing, but unlike before, when I was more like a first point of contact, I’m now a specialist who is called upon when an AI expert is needed to solve customer issues.
Nadkarni views her career transition as a future-defining moment.
I see my career pivot as future-defining, not just future-proofing, actively positioning myself where the disruption is occurring, and where it’s creating the most economic value.
We don’t know what will happen in the future, but I think AI will stay for a while. It was important for me to be at the forefront and to be in charge of my own career, rather than play it safe.
Do you have a story to share about AI disrupting and transforming your career? Contact this reporter at [email protected]
