This told essay is based on a conversation with Aimen Moten, who has been working as a software engineer at Google since March. She is in her 20s and lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.
I work as a software engineer at Google, but I don’t do much coding these days.
Instead, they spend more time reviewing AI-generated code, making design decisions, and deeply understanding how things work.
Engineers’ jobs are 100% changed by AI and they need to adapt. But before I could think about adapting to AI, I first needed to find a job.
Getting a job at Google wasn’t easy. For me, that journey started long before my first Google interview.
My original goal was to graduate from college early.
I am from Pakistan and came to the United States in 2022 to pursue a degree in Computer Science from DePauw University.
College tuition is expensive, so my goal was to graduate in three years. Even with a partial scholarship, school-related costs still cost more than $10,000 a semester. And since I wasn’t a U.S. citizen, I didn’t qualify for federal student loans. Although my parents helped me pay for the first few semesters, I knew I might have to rely on scholarships and internship income to finish the rest of college.
If you graduate early, you will need a job right away. So my strategy for sophomore year was simple. The idea was to apply to as many internships as possible, find the best one, get a return offer, and put myself on the quickest route to a full-time software engineering job.
I applied for internships strategically.
I attended tech conferences like the Grace Hopper Celebration to network and learn when applications for various internships open. The conference alerted me to apply as soon as the application was released.
The summer before my sophomore year, I spent a lot of time cold messaging people at companies I was interested in on LinkedIn and hearing about their experiences. When I finally applied, I was able to ask some of them for introductions, and I was able to receive some introductions from them.
During this search, I applied to hundreds of internships and went through several interview processes, including six rounds of interviews.
Aimen Moten says AI has changed the way he works as a software engineer at Google. Aimen Menkyo
I got an internship at Google, but I had to adjust my plans.
Ultimately, I successfully interviewed for a software engineering internship at Google and ultimately received an offer for an internship based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Ironically, Google was one of the few companies I interviewed with and didn’t have any referrals.
My first internship at Google was a great experience, but I had to adjust my schedule to graduate and find a full-time job. I was told that returning to Google for a second internship was my best path to a full-time software engineering offer.
The following summer, I returned to Google for my second internship and received the full-time offer I had been looking forward to. After graduating in 3.5 years in December 2025, I moved to the Bay Area and started working as a full-time software engineer in March.
Looking back, I am especially grateful that I received the reinstatement offer because I know how difficult the technology job market is today. I know a lot of very talented people who are still looking for opportunities.
Read more about people at corporate crossroads
My career advice to young engineers
One of the lessons I learned from my job search is that it’s important to take care of yourself. Everyone talks about optimizing your resume and preparing for interviews, but it means nothing if you can’t perform at your best.
I’ve met people who have moved from one internship search to another, or from one job search to the next. Everyone tells you to work hard, but no one reminds you that you need to take care of yourself. It doesn’t matter how good your resume is if you’re so burnt out that you can’t talk about it.
I also believe that today’s job market requires students to adapt more quickly than ever before. While schools are still figuring out how to incorporate AI into computer science curricula, engineers entering the workforce need to learn how to use these tools effectively.
Given the speed at which AI is advancing, I think all of us in technology feel some level of pressure to use AI in our work and personal lives. If you don’t use AI, you’ll have “FOMO.” However, I don’t think AI will take my job anytime soon.
From what I’ve seen in my first few months at Google, AI isn’t replacing software engineers, it’s just changing the way we work. If you’re a good engineer, you know how important humans still are in the engineering process.
Still, I know the engineering job market isn’t easy, and I don’t take my opportunity at Google for granted.