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Navya Jamlamada joined Microsoft in 2024 as a software engineer.
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She said AI tools have become central to her work and have made certain tasks easier.
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Gen Z shares her top advice for using AI and breaking into the tech industry.
This essay is based on a conversation with Navya Jamlamadaka, a 27-year-old software engineer at Microsoft who lives in Redmond, Washington. The following has been edited for length and clarity.
I’m still very early in my career, but I’ve seen software engineering roles change a lot.
I would go to work five to six hours a day and code without the aid of an AI tool. Now, my job is like being an architect – guiding the AI to write code while I design the system.
At Microsoft, there is certainly a push for AI adoption. My AI usage increased early last year when more tools were made available internally. I focused the first half of 2025 on using AI and learning what it can do, and the second half of the year incorporating it into my workflow, such as using AI to review code.
GitHub Copilot has become my go-to tool for coding tips and debugging. My work is still reviewed by a senior engineer, but AI has been really helpful.
I joined Big Tech 2 years ago
My journey at Microsoft began in 2023, when I decided to take a shot at a dream that everyone in my industry has had at one point or another: working in Big Tech.
At the time I was working as a software engineer at a consulting firm in Connecticut. When I was applying for big tech roles, the founder of a small tech firm reached out about a software engineer position in San Francisco that looked really good. I hadn’t heard from most of my Big Tech applications, so I decided to pursue work. I finally accepted an offer, moved to San Francisco, and started the role in January 2024.
I was generally happy with my role, but I hadn’t given up on my Big Tech dreams. I started hearing from several big tech applications I had submitted in the previous months – before I started my new job. I went on to interview at Apple, Meta, and Tesla, continuing to apply elsewhere.
That February, I applied for a software engineering role at Microsoft. A friend I connected with on LinkedIn was a referral from a New York University alum. I interviewed for the role, and the process moved quickly. After the interview with the hiring manager, I learned within a day that I was moving on. I then had four more interviews, and within a few weeks I had received and accepted an offer.
The hybrid role required me to work from the Seattle office, so I had to leave San Francisco – a city I really love and would love to live there. But I felt the opportunity was worthwhile, so I transferred in May 2024 and started the role.
Business Insider talks to tech workers affected by recent workforce shifts, including layoffs, AI adoption, and changing workplace expectations.
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How I use AI to manage engineering pressures
Using AI tools has reduced the time I spend on tasks like navigating large codebases and writing boilerplate code. But for me, the benefits of AI are less about saving time. That’s because using AI well still requires a lot of judgment — like carefully reviewing suggestions and knowing when to trust and when not to. It doesn’t feel like I’m doing the same thing faster; This allows me to focus my energy on high-level problem solving.
Fortunately, I haven’t suffered from “AI fatigue” — or burnout from heavy AI use — as some engineers have. But I know many engineers in the tech industry, including those early in their careers, now feel more pressure to meet deadlines.
I think AI can help alleviate some of that pressure by speeding up tasks like debugging and understanding code. That doesn’t mean the work won’t still be exhausting, but it can help things feel more organized.
One of the ways AI has been most helpful is in helping me understand large Microsoft codebases that span over a decade. As an engineer who was new to the scale of Microsoft’s systems, they were initially intimidated. But after asking the AI enough questions, I was able to understand the code better.
My advice for young job seekers
I know people have questions about the future of software engineering roles, but I think human engineers are still very much needed. No matter how much you train an AI, it’s hard to get the full context of what you’re trying to achieve.
While AI has been very helpful, it is still important for me to have the support and guidance of many senior engineers who have worked at Microsoft for a long time.
One piece of advice I have for young job seekers is to connect with as many people as possible on LinkedIn. I’ve helped people apply for jobs and then contact people at companies to let them know I applied and why I’m interested. I think it might help land interviews.
I also recommend customizing your LinkedIn profile. When a recruiter clicks on it, they can spend a few seconds reviewing it. Make sure you have a portfolio section where your best projects are highlighted. The goal is to make them think: “Oh yeah, this person is doing something good.”
Finally, I think it’s important for aspiring software engineers to understand that the role is changing quickly. You may have learned traditional coding in college without the aid of AI and may have been judged on your traditional coding skills in a job interview. Those skills are valuable, but if your employer expects you to use AI, you’ll want to be prepared for that.
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