This essay as told is based on a conversation with Max Buckley, a 38-year-old senior software engineer at Google, based in Zurich, Swiss. His identity and employment have been verified by Business Insider. The following has been edited for length and clarity.
I am a senior software engineer at Google in Zurich, where I have worked since 2013.
Most people don’t move from business to a more technical background, but my bachelor’s degree was in business studies and I joined Google after my undergraduate studies as a financial analyst intern.
For several years, I moved from financial analysis to business analytics, then to trust and security, and to an engineering team in 2016. I joined several other software engineering teams, then eventually joined Google Cloud AI, where I worked on one of the cloud AI products for a few years.
I then joined an internal LLM innovation team within Google’s core infrastructure group, which we then transformed into an LLM applied research team, where I lead the team today.
To make multiple changes like this, you need to hone your skills and explore other areas. Here’s how I did it:
I have taken about 40 open online courses
As soon as I joined Google, I decided that my North Star would be to become a data scientist. Initially, I had great success expanding my skills with online courses like Coursera, edX, or Stanford. I used them to explore finance, then statistics, and then spent most of my time in computer science and data science.
Overall, I’m done around 40 open online coursesmost through Coursera.
Some of the courses I have taken include:
- Neural networks and deep learning
- Structuring machine learning projects
- Algorithmic toolkit
- Sequence models
The courses ran from 2013 to 2021, and I took them in the evenings and on weekends. I didn’t have a lot of time for video games, but I still made time to go to the gym, eat, sleep, and spend time with my girlfriend.
I wasn’t very structured in my approach to taking classes. I didn’t say, “I have to do five hours a day,” or anything like that. I followed them because I felt the need to do one or learn more about a particular topic. I didn’t get exhausted.
The most impactful courses I took were the first two Coursera courses: Data Analysis and Computer Science for Data Analysis. I did them right before my interview for my internship at Google and the interviewer had taken the same course, so we had this instant connection.
I went back to school for several degrees
I also did more formal study part-time.
I completed my Bachelor of Business Studies in 2013. Then, at Google, I completed a part-time postgraduate certificate in Statistics, which took one year. I then followed a part-time master’s degree in Business Analytics, which lasted two years. I then pursued a part-time master’s degree in software engineering, which lasted almost five years. Most recently, I completed an advanced degree in data science, which took another two years.
I have taken several summer school certificates, which is where you spend a week taking doctoral level courses.
I don’t regret taking the long way
My message to those who want to make the transition is: don’t be discouraged. When I first wanted to join Google, several hiring managers weren’t interested because I didn’t have an undergraduate degree in computer science. Similarly, when I applied for a master’s degree in Business Analytics, I was initially rejected because I didn’t have an undergraduate technical degree or two semesters of programming experience, even though I was programming at Google. There were obstacles that I had to navigate around.
I always wanted to study computer science, but my dad told me it was better to learn something different because I’d probably end up there anyway. In hindsight, he was right.
Studying computer science would definitely have accelerated my career, but I’m in a place where it’s no longer a barrier and I’m familiar with a number of business theories, like Porter’s five forces. They’re not always helpful, but every once in a while it comes up in conversation.
The constant here is that my journey includes continuous learning. When recruiters or hiring managers see my profile, they see that I am not a complacent person.
Have you made a career change? We want to hear from you. Contact the journalist by email at aaltchek@insider.com or via the Signal secure messaging app at aalt.19.