Career Stories & Strategies: Professionals at LinkedIn

On February 27, Central Asian Ladies Initiative (CALI) hosted another Career Elevated networking event "Career Stories & Strategies: Professionals at LinkedIn" at the LinkedIn Headquarters.

Five inspiring speakers, all currently holding positions at LinkedIn, shared their personal stories and professional journeys about how they built successful careers at one of the most desired companies in Silicon Valley and worldwide. Many have been working at LinkedIn for 3-10 years and offered valuable insights about career growth, resilience, and navigating today’s rapidly changing job market.

One of the key topics discussed throughout the evening was how AI is reshaping the modern workforce and what it takes to become an outstanding candidate today.

Jamshid Takhirov, Principal System Analyst, graduated from UC Berkeley during the Great Recession in 2010. He secured his first corporate role in 2011 working in tech support and later joined LinkedIn in 2014.

His opportunity came from trust built through consistent performance. Early in his career in tech support, he regularly helped customers resolve technical issues over the phone and through support tickets. Over time, he became someone customers relied on whenever something needed to be fixed. One of those customers later became his hiring manager at LinkedIn and already knew his reliability and capabilities, which led directly to the job opportunity.

During his presentation, Jamshid shared three lessons he wished he had known earlier in his career: Proof, Trust, and Direction.

• Proof means that skills alone are not enough—you must demonstrate results and show the impact of your work.

• Trust emphasizes that strong professional relationships are built on credibility and reliability; people hire and promote those they trust.

• Direction is about understanding what truly matters to you and where you want to go in your career.

He noted that early in our careers, we often focus on building skills and relationships while overlooking direction. However, direction ultimately determines where those skills and relationships will lead us. 

As the philosopher Seneca said: “If one does not know to which port one is sailing, no wind is favorable.”

Kamola Kobildjanova, Senior Lead Product Counsel, shared that she moved to the United States with her parents at age 13. She expressed deep gratitude for her family’s support, which played a crucial role in her career achievements.

Arriving in a new country as a shy and humble introvert, Kamola decided to challenge herself by joining the mock trial and school debate clubs. That experience not only built her confidence but also sparked her interest in law, ultimately shaping her decision to pursue a legal career.

She emphasized the importance of mentorship and investing time in understanding both strengths and weaknesses. Her advice: don’t be afraid to stretch yourself and step outside your comfort zone—because that is exactly how growth happens.

Aizhan Smith, Machine Learning Engineer, shared her unique career journey and reminded the audience that careers are rarely linear. Growing up in a family of doctors, she initially believed she would follow the same path—and she did build a successful career in that field. However, she later realized her true passion was in technology. She always wanted to make an impact but lacked the technical background.

She set a clear goal and told top managers: “I want to be a Machine Learning Engineer.” Determined to achieve it, she pivoted into engineering, launched her own startup, and pursued her goal of becoming a Machine Learning Engineer.

Her story highlighted a key lesson: clarity about where you want to go matters more than having a perfectly straight path.

Bektur Elebes, Software Engineer, brought humor and inspiration by sharing his unconventional journey. Before becoming an engineer, he lived and worked in multiple cities—New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco—doing various jobs including as a delivery driver for Uber and Amazon, and even appearing as a background actor in Hollywood. You can spot him in the Netflix series Lucifer and the TV show Silicon Valley, where he played a software engineer—and today he is one.

He realized he needed a major change, returned to Kyrgyzstan, and enrolled in a coding bootcamp, waking up at 5 a.m. every day to attend classes across a challenging time zone.

Bektur also shared that job searching is a full-time job. While he once described it as a numbers game—the more applications you submit, the higher your chances—he now recognizes it’s more complex and hesitates to offer a one-size-fits-all formula.

He emphasized an important perspective on AI: while AI may generate up to 80% of code, human engineers are still essential to review, refine, and ensure quality.

Zhanat Abylkassym, Manager TPM, AI Infrastructure, presented his talk creatively, using AI to help prepare his presentation about a new book "Open to Work: How to Get Ahead in the Age of AI" by Ryan Roslansky & Aneesh Raman (Upcoming - March, 2026). He highlighted the importance of embracing AI in everyday work rather than avoiding it. Many professionals already use AI tools for coding, research, and productivity enhancement. The key is not to compete with AI but to leverage it to enhance your own skills.

He also introduced the “5 Cs”—uniquely human skills that AI cannot replace: Curiosity, Courage, Creativity, Compassion, and Communication. The future belongs to those who develop these human capabilities alongside AI.

Why this event mattered

Because we live in an uncertain world, hearing real stories of success—people overcoming challenges and sharing their wisdom—truly makes a difference. For young graduates, students, and anyone aspiring to build a career in Silicon Valley, the session was invaluable. Attendees were deeply grateful for the opportunity to learn from these inspiring experiences and gain insights that can guide their own career journeys.

CALI’s mission is to empower people and create meaningful opportunities for growth and connection. Events like this remind us of a simple but powerful truth: everything is possible with hard work, strong networks, and integrity.

Perhaps the most important takeaway of the evening: while technology continues to evolve, human interaction, empathy, and genuine relationships cannot be replaced by AI.

When asked why they chose to stay at LinkedIn for so many years, the panelists shared a common answer: LinkedIn’s strong corporate culture, values, and commitment to work-life balance.