Nitya Kumar, 25, transitioned from a product design role at Meta to an AI job at Adobe by embracing a mindset of experimentation. She treated her career like a science lab, giving herself the freedom to explore without the pressure of a traditional ladder.
Kumar, who lives in India, saw the industry pivoting toward AI by 2024 and recognized the need to upskill. Without a formal machine learning background, she took her AI education into her own hands, learning through hands-on projects.
Her approach involved experimenting with new design skills rather than solely focusing on upward mobility. This method helped her overcome the fear of learning a completely new technology and ultimately land a role at Adobe working with AI.
Kumar’s story highlights a broader trend of professionals self-directing their upskilling in response to rapid technological shifts. For others facing similar industry changes, embracing curiosity over rigid ambition may open unexpected career paths.
The essay, based on a conversation with Kumar, offers a personal perspective on navigating career transitions in Big Tech. It remains to be seen how widely this approach can be applied across different sectors and skill levels.