Indian-origin techie shares journey from leaving high-paying job to restarting career in Big Tech
After spending nearly a decade building software, an Indian-origin techie made a bold choice. She left her well-paying job at an American multi-national retailer, returned to school, and restarted her career path. This decision eventually paid off. Today, 33-year-old Harshita Pal is a senior product manager at a Big Tech company, the same firm where she once joined as an intern.
Sharing her journey with Business Insider, Pal said that her decision was not driven by frustration with engineering. In fact, she said that she enjoyed the logic, discipline, and problem-solving the role demanded. But over time, she realised she wanted something more.
The 33-year-old shared that after earning her bachelor’s degree in electronics and communications engineering in 2013, she steadily moved up the ladder and took on senior and lead roles as a software engineer. By 2021, however, she realised she wanted more involvement in shaping products rather than simply delivering technical solutions.
As the engineering lead, her focus was on technical delivery, but she found herself naturally drawn to product discussions. She recalled asking questions about user journeys, challenging feature priorities, and suggesting alternatives based on customer impact. “That’s when it all clicked for me: what truly excited me wasn’t just the act of building the product, but rather influencing what we created and the reasons behind it,” she told the outlet.
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Going back to classroom
Pal said that once she made up her mind, she decided to take what she described as a thoughtful pivot. She quit her job and enrolled in an MBA program at the University of California, Irvine, in the same year. She believed the degree would open doors to leadership opportunities with greater responsibility and stronger long-term earning potential.
“To transition from engineering to a product role and excel in it, I realized I had to develop a solid grasp of finance, marketing, strategy, and entrepreneurship — areas that weren’t really part of my daily routine as a software engineer,” Pal said.
During her MBA, she said that she focused on gaining relevant experience. She connected with product leaders, participated in hands-on projects, and learned to present her engineering achievements in terms of product and business impact. She also tailored her coursework, projects, and networking efforts around her goal of landing a product role.
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How did she land an internship?
Her preparation paid off when she secured a three-month internship at a Big Tech company. Pal said that she crafted a strong narrative linking her technical expertise with product thinking, practised mock interviews, and used career services for resume building and interview preparation. The internship eventually led to a full-time return offer after graduation.
Reflecting on the switch, Pal said that her new role feels like a better fit. While engineering largely focused on execution, product management allows her to shape vision, set priorities, and align user needs with business goals. “It encourages me to think big, keep innovating, and stay tuned in to what our customers really want,” she said.
“It wasn’t about leaving engineering behind,” she said. “It was about moving toward a place where I could add value on a different level.”
