Zendesk rejected my application. Then offered me something better. I applied for an AE role. It made sense on paper. Years of quota, pipeline, cold calls. Then the interviews happened. We naturally talked about my agents. My n8n connections. The Agent dashboard I've built. My prompting, my Claude setups. All the stuff I test because I find it too interesting to stop. Long story short: I didn't get the AE job. I got a question instead. "Would you consider joining the Solution Engineering team? You'd be great with us." So. Secret's out. I'm a Solution Engineer at Zendesk now. Two weeks in, one bootcamp down, surrounded by teammates whose energy and professionalism is honestly a masterclass. Here is something I actually want you to take from this: Build things. Even when people make fun of you. Even when nobody around you gets it. If you like it, do it repeatedly. Then show it to the people who know. They noticed the mother of agents before the seller. Ever been hired for a job you didn't apply for? (Yes, the glasses are new. Solution Engineers are contractually required to look like this😁) #AI #AgenticAI #SalesLife #FutureOfWork #Zendesk
Lily Kubiak Payan thanks so much for the share 🫶
Shalana Lyee Goodin thank you for the share 🫶
I too am building agents and working to find a role that fits for me! What guides/classes/courses did you find helped the most when building your agents? I have seen so many. I built an agent but I am always looking for new materials to learn!
the interview essentially ran the discovery call that the job description couldn't. most resumes die without anyone ever asking what you actually build day to day.
This is how it should be. When your curiosity and passion become the reason you’re chosen, the right opportunities find you. The best roles are the ones where you keep learning, growing, and solving problems because you genuinely enjoy the craft. Great reminder to keep building, even when nobody else understands it yet.
As someone early in her career, I always find stories like this fascinating. This is why what skills you can foster at a job is way more important than the title!
Some of my best jobs have been for roles I didn’t apply for — and were created around what I brought to the organization. It’s always such a blessing when the stars align like that
Congratulations, something similar happened to me recently, I was interviewing for an AE role and the interviewer noticed my self taught coding experience and asked me if I would be willing to interview for an implementation specialist role. I said yes and we pivoted right there. Unfortunately they didn't have a role available and won't in the near future so I am back on the hunt. I wonder if I should be searching for SE roles. I love the technical side so much!
Janeequa Townsend thank you for the share 🫶