Thinking about a career pivot? A Google engineer shares what he learned from taking a leap of faith.

Prerit Pathak, a Google engineer based in New York City, shares his experience of transitioning from software engineering to cybersecurity. The security engineer at Google in New York City highlights that cybersecurity roles may not have the same visibility as those in software engineering or AI. He believes that there is a lack of mentorship and transparency in the cybersecurity field, making it harder for individuals to envision themselves in the role.

Pathak's fascination for cybersecurity began during his childhood when he started jailbreaking devices to enhance their capabilities. He pursued this interest as a software engineer at Dell Technologies in India but later realized that there was a lack of public-facing mentorship and day-in-the-life transparency for cybersecurity.

Pathak realized that cybersecurity had become more than a side interest during his undergraduate degree, when he sharpened his skills as a security researcher through classes, self-study, and participating in Capture the Flag challenges. He started working on finding vulnerabilities on public websites and reporting them to the management, receiving appreciation letters and acknowledgments from top universities and organizations.

Inspired by the tangible impact of security research, Pathak decided to pursue the field further. While working at Dell, he set up a local chapter of the Open Worldwide Application Security Project, a cybersecurity nonprofit, and invited speakers from around the world to give talks. He then moved to the US to complete a Google security engineering internship and eventually joined Google full-time in New York in 2023.

Pathak advises software engineers who want to shift to cybersecurity to use their technical skills to their advantage, network effectively, and prepare for interviews. He emphasizes the importance of communication skills and learning what working in cybersecurity actually looks like.