Thinking about a career pivot? A Google engineer shares what he learned from taking a leap of faith.
A Google security engineer discusses his career pivot from software engineering to cybersecurity, emphasizing the importance of following one's interests. He notes that cybersecurity is often less visible than software engineering but is increasingly critical in the age of AI.
Why it matters
Offers insight into the evolving tech job market and the growing demand for cybersecurity expertise.
Prerit Pathak started his career as a software engineer before transitioning into cybersecurity. Prerit Pathak A Google engineer says switching from software engineering to cybersecurity was a "leap of faith." He shared why he made the pivot and his advice for others considering a similar one. He believes cybersecurity careers aren't as visible as those in software engineering or AI. This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Prerit Pathak, a 28-year-old security engineer at Google in New York City. It has been edited for length and clarity. I think some people mistakenly believe that being a 'tech employee' is synonymous with being a software engineer . But I've always had a fascination for cybersecurity. I vividly remember jailbreaking my devices as a kid to enhance their capabilities. Hacking for me meant making something do what it wasn't intended to do.
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