4 people who pivoted into AI jobs — and how they did it

Tech Insider : Business, Technology
Person typing on screen
Four workers told Business Insider how they transitioned into AI roles.

Nico De Pasquale Photography/Getty Images

I quit fast-paced journalism to care for my sick mom. My experience in both led me to become a celebrant at funerals.

Tech Insider : Business
A woman in a green-and-blue patterned dress holding a brown folder.
Journalist Mandy Appleyard, who worked in the UK, the US, and Asia, became a caretaker for her sick mom. She later switched careers to preside at funerals.

Courtesy of Mandy Appleyard

A talent CEO says data centers are a 'massive opportunity' for office workers to pivot mid-career

Tech Insider : Economy, Business, Technology
Carrie Charles Broadstaff
Carrie Charles is the CEO of Broadstaff, a recruiting and staffing agency.

Carrie Charles

I ran a successful brick-and-mortar business for decades. I shut it down in my 50s to reinvent myself and my career.

Tech Insider : Business
Susan Teresa posing
The author ran a photography studio.

Courtesy of Susan Teresa

I was a laid-off software engineer who pivoted into blue-collar work because of AI. One year in, I couldn't be happier.

Tech Insider : Business
Tabby Toney's headshot after work and an image of her in uniform welding.
Tabby Toney was laid off from her tech role and started her welding job immediately after completing her certification.

Courtesy of Tabby Toney

A mom of twin toddlers left her six-figure Google job to bet on herself: 'I thought about the story I wanted to tell my kids.'

Tech Insider : Economy, Business
Taylor M. LaSane
Taylor M. LaSane

Taylor M. LaSane

I left tech to become an influencer. I had $6,000 in my savings when I took the leap, but it's the best decision I've ever made.

Tech Insider : Business, Crypto
Camillia Nwokedi smiling, wearing a gray coat outside.
Camillia Nwokedi

Camillia Nwokedi

I work at Google and saw AI change the tech industry. Here's how I upskilled and made a 'future-defining' career pivot.

Tech Insider : Business
Gautami Nadkarni is standing on a path, wearing a black-and-white chequered dress. There are trees all around her.
Nadkarni is now a customer engineer in AI and machine learning within the Google Cloud org.

Courtesy of Gautami Nadkarni

Midlife isn't a crisis anymore. It's a career rebrand.

Tech Insider : Business, Politics, Technology
Tiara Neal, Danielle Scott

Greg Kahn for BI

I got laid off and used my severance money to launch a startup. Here's why it felt like less of a gamble than pursuing an MBA.

Tech Insider : Business, Sports, Technology
Sam Perry headshot
Sam Perry, 40, was laid off in 2022.

Courtesy of Sam Perry

Subscribe to career-pivot