Free Lesson

How to Become a Forward Deployed Engineer: Skills & Roadmap

Hosted by Priyanka Vergadia

Thu, Jul 16, 2026

5:30 PM UTC (45 minutes)

Virtual (Zoom)

Free to join

133 students

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Build Real AI Applications in 5 Weeks
Priyanka Vergadia
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What you'll learn

Difference between FDE, SWE, Solutions Architect, Pro Serv

You'll clearly see how FDE differs from four similar-sounding roles where the boundaries are and which skills overlap

Build FDE skills hiring teams screen for

You'll walk away with a concrete hard and soft skills roadmap from communications to LLM APIs, RAG and AI Agents

A 90-day plan to land your first FDE role

You'll leave with a step-by-step 90-day action plan: what to build, how to position yourself, and how to stand out

Why this topic matters

FDE is where technical depth meets business impact. You're the engineer who can architect the solution and sell the vision to a CEO, but that takes sharp communication skills and the ability to translate between business and tech. The engineers landing FDE roles have the right roadmap and after this session you will have that complete 90-day plan from someone who built a FDE team from scratch.

You'll learn from

Priyanka Vergadia

AI & Cloud leader @Microsoft @Google | Visual Storyteller | TED Speaker

I've spent 15 years at the frontier of AI and Cloud leading product launches at Google and Microsoft that shaped how companies build with technology.

At Google, I led Developer Advocacy for North America and launched Gemini Code Assist alongside the CEO at Google Cloud Next. At Microsoft, I advise C-suite executives on AI transformation across GitHub Copilot and Azure.

I'm a TED speaker, Wharton faculty, and author of 2 bestselling books on Cloud and Generative AI.

But what sets me apart is storytelling. I built one of tech's most recognized visual education brands turning complex AI and Cloud concepts into content that has reached millions.

I teach what I live every day at the world's most innovative companies.

Previously at & Trusted By

Google
Microsoft
The Wharton School
Intel
TED
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