The tech landscape is transforming at breakneck speed. While 78% of organizations now use AI in at least one business function, this isn't spelling doom for tech professionals—it's creating unprecedented opportunities for those who understand how to position themselves strategically.
We sat down with Agam Mishra, who represents the future of tech careers: professionals who expand beyond just writing code to understand business requirements, architecture, project management, and client communication. Here's his blueprint for building an AI-resistant career.
Key Takeaways: Your Action Plan for Building an AI-Resistant Career
Immediate Actions (Next 30 Days):
- Get hands-on with AI tools like GitHub Copilot, Cursor, or Gemini Meet Assist
- Volunteer for one cross-functional project or client-facing meeting
- Start asking "why" questions about business requirements in your current role
Medium-term Investments (3-12 Months):
- Learn strategic frameworks: Eisenhower Matrix, stakeholder mapping, $100 technique
- Consider project management certification (PMP offers 33% salary premium)
- Practice business communication through documentation and stakeholder updates
Long-term Strategy (1-3 Years):
- Develop hybrid technical-business expertise
- Consider part-time MBA for management aspirations
- Position yourself for emerging roles: AI Product Manager, Solutions Architect, Technical Business Analyst
Q: Tell us about your unique role and what makes it different from typical software engineering positions.
Agam: I'm a senior software engineer at Global Logic, but what makes my role unique is that I wear multiple hats. Along with my core development skills - feature development, API integrations, debugging, and code optimization - I also take on business analyst responsibilities, even though it's not an official requirement.
I go from coding and designing solutions to gathering requirements and working closely with clients. It makes my job more dynamic because I think beyond the code and understand how everything fits into the bigger business picture. Currently, I'm also pursuing an MBA in project management, which adds another strategic layer to my career.
🔥 ChaiNet's Hot Take: The future belongs to professionals who can bridge technical capabilities with business strategy.
Q: How is AI changing requirement gathering and business analysis in 2025? Will AI replace developers?
Agam: AI has made a big difference in our lives across technical, functional, and techno-functional fields. It's changed how we draft documents and gather requirements. We use several tools like ChatGPT, but I want to highlight Gemini Meet Assist—it summarizes meeting minutes and document structures automatically.
Before, when we were in stakeholder or client calls, we'd take out pen and paper to note important points. Now we can switch to the cognitive and analytical part because that mechanical work is done by AI tools. What used to take hours—taking meeting minutes, then discussing key points—now happens in parallel. We don't need to schedule meetings after meetings.
The most surprising part is that it saves time and helps us think better about edge cases we often miss. It's like having a second buddy or second set of eyes if you use it wisely and carefully.
🔥 ChaiNet's Hot Take: Gemini Meet Assist now supports 69 languages and automates transcription, summary generation, and action item extraction. GitHub Copilot serves over 50,000 enterprise customers, with developers reporting 55% faster code completion. These tools aren't replacing analysts - they're freeing them up for strategic thinking and complex problem-solving.
Q: Do you really need an MBA or fancy courses to transition from technical to business roles?
Agam: People often think they need to learn business terminologies or do an MBA before switching to business analyst or management fields, but honestly, what helps more is systems thinking. If you understand how different parts of a system talk to each other, how data flows through your system, and you can make someone else understand it—those are the key skills.
Communication and curiosity about the system you're working in matter most. You don't need to learn buzzwords or terminologies first. They can add a feather to your cap, but they're not the only thing. If you can tackle systems thinking and communication, you don't need fancy credentials initially.
🔥 ChaiNet's Hot Take: The data supports this practical approach, but formal credentials do provide measurable benefits. MBA graduates in tech roles earn an average of $30,000 more than experienced direct-from-industry hires. The sweet spot is building practical systems thinking first, understanding AI impact on developer careers, then adding formal credentials for career acceleration.
Q: You went from associate to senior software engineer in just three years. How did you achieve this rapid progression?
Agam: Honestly, I didn't plan it that way. I just tried to take ownership wherever I could. If something needed to be done—even if it wasn't my task—I stepped into it. If there were calls I wasn't invited to, I asked my managers and team leads to let me join so I could see how things work and understand the system flow.
I made sure to understand the full picture. In a big company, you work in one corner of the room, but you have to navigate the whole room. Nobody will tell you to explore this part or that part. This helped me join client calls, interact with end users and stakeholders, and contribute beyond just development.
To be honest, in earlier days I didn't have the full business flow understanding. When I joined calls, I couldn't understand what was happening in different services. But I always made an effort to learn and consistently asked questions: How does this flow work? What impact will it have if we do it like this?
🔥 ChaiNet's Hot Take: This proactive approach is crucial in today's market. With 170 million new jobs projected by 2030 but significant skills gaps, professionals who demonstrate curiosity and cross-functional thinking are positioning themselves for the 78 million net new opportunities the World Economic Forum predicts.
Q: How do you manage working full-time while pursuing an MBA? What's the practical impact?
Agam: It's definitely a challenge when you're doing two full-time things in parallel. Both MBA and your job are dynamic—they can take hours beyond your capacity. I decided to pursue an MBA because I wanted to better understand how projects are planned and delivered from a management perspective.
Even if you're going purely technical, when you're a 6-7 year experienced person, you eventually become a team lead. You can't avoid that responsibility. I thought: if we're going to tackle these challenges anyway, why not tackle them with full professionalism?
Managing both requires organization and prioritization. Sometimes it's late nights, weekend studies, weekend work. But I remind myself that I'm making an investment in my growth. Having a clear goal and staying motivated when things get complex is key.
The MBA has immediate practical impact. I find myself using what I learned all the time—risk management, identifying potential threats early in projects, stakeholder management, communication strategies. How I interact with clients, stakeholders, and team members has improved dramatically. I'm thinking strategically about overall structure, not just coding and specifications.
Q: What AI tools should early-career developers focus on to future-proof tech career?
Agam: There are two types of people—those who think AI is very bad and those who think it's very good. We're in the middle. AI will neither take over all jobs nor create unlimited opportunities. When drastic change comes to an industry, it creates chaos, but it also creates opportunities.
There are great AI tools for developers like GitHub Copilot, which is getting used in many organizations because it's provided by GitHub—a platform everyone already trusts. Tools like ChatGPT, Codeium, and others are used for debugging code and understanding logic.
If someone else wrote code, it used to take 2-3 days to understand their logic and what services they used. Now you can save that time by asking your code buddy or Copilot what the code does. It can also generate boilerplate code like setters and getters.
IDEs like IntelliJ and Eclipse are integrating AI, making it easier to test and deploy code. If you learn to work with AI APIs—OpenAI, Azure services, Google Cloud AI—you can start adding intelligent features to your projects.
But it's equally important to stay aware of your company's policy. You cannot put sensitive or client-related code into open AI tools. Data security and usage policies are crucial—not everything should go into AI tools without proper authorization.
Q: How should enterprises balance AI adoption with security concerns?
Agam: I'll give you an analogy. If you put your finger in water at 80-90°C, you'll immediately pull it out. But if you start at 5°C and slowly increase the temperature, at 80°C you'll say you're comfortable.
You don't have to jump into AI completely or stay away from it entirely. You have to gradually and slowly engage with these practices coming to the market. If you ignore them, someone else is using them and gaining advantages.
You have to stay aware of what's happening in the market, adopt these tools, learn them, and provide proper skill sets to your employees so they can use them effectively. The key words are: effectiveness, security, and data protection. If you adhere to these principles, you can use any tools or technology.
If one company is doing something better than yours using AI, and you're saying "I'll do it using only manpower, I'm not integrating AI," then eventually you'll lose market space.
🔥 ChaiNet's Hot Take: The data validates this cautious but progressive approach. 57% of organizations cite data breaches as the top barrier to AI adoption, yet only 18% have enterprise-wide AI governance councils.
Q: What's your indie developer tips for someone 1-2 years into their career who wants to follow a similar path?
Agam: First, get solid in your technical skills. Understand how systems work, data flows, coding basics—that's your foundation. A good analyst can only be someone who knows how system workflows operate.
Second, start getting involved in requirement gathering and client conversations. Listen carefully and ask questions about why something is needed, not just how to build it. If you're building something, understand what impact it has on the end user. Then you can give suggestions about improvements, cost efficiency, and impact.
If you're working like a robot—someone says "create this feature" and you just open your keyboard and create it—you can never get into the analyst part. You need to understand what the end user gets from your feature development.
Third, non-coding skills for developers - practice communication through user stories, documentation, emails. If someone can read your documents and emails and easily interpret everything, you're on the right path.
Finally, learn key project management and business concepts. People take them lightly, but they're very efficient long-term: stakeholder mapping, prioritization frameworks like the two-minute strategy (complete work that takes two minutes right now), the Eisenhower matrix (), the $100 technique. If you actually apply these concepts in daily life, you'll see how fast you deliver and prioritize work.
Be patient—it takes time to develop both technical and business skills. Stay curious and open to learning.
Q: If you could go back and speak to your younger self, what advice would you give for beginner developer career tips ?
Agam: First, focus on why more than how. If you're doing something, understand why you're doing it instead of just how to do it. Focus on the end result and what will happen when things fall into place.
Second, do everything with full dedication. Otherwise, there's no point in doing multiple things halfway.
Third, don't miss anything—don't take opportunities lightly. If there's a workshop, podcast, or any learning opportunity, attend it. One piece of advice here and there can change your career completely. When we're in graduation or early career, we think "this is light, we won't attend," but that's not a good idea.
Even in a 50-minute or 1-hour session, if you take one or two key points, that can change your career forever. Don't be afraid to speak up and share your ideas, even if you're new. That confidence can open doors and help you grow faster.
Q: How can people connect with you and continue learning?
Agam: I'm pretty active on LinkedIn—that's the best place to reach me. You can see what I'm doing professionally, what I'm currently pursuing, and if you have any questions, I'm open to providing guidance. I can chat anytime—that's where we can connect.
Final thoughts from Agam: Don't be afraid to step out of your comfort zone. You have 5-6 years in your early career when you don't need to stay comfortable. Start asking questions about the business side—it helps you get the bigger picture. Be curious and open to learning from every direction, from every person—junior, senior, anyone. That's what helps you grow and add value. Keep learning, keep growing.
