On NO ENTRY Level by Pega6, host Jeremy Smith sits down with Peter Ngai, Vice President of Engineering at SnapLogic, to unpack how early career talent is changing in an AI-powered world. Peter shares why roles like “architect” don’t really have an entry-level version and why accumulated wisdom, cross-functional collaboration, and business context matter as much as technical skill.

Jeremy and Peter explore how SnapLogic approaches early career hiring (often through master’s-level talent due to the complexity of its systems), and how AI is rapidly reshaping what “being job-ready” means. Peter describes the shift he’s seeing firsthand: the strongest new hires treat AI as an assistant, not a threat, moving faster, learning quicker, and building with a modern toolset that older generations may still resist.

The conversation then zooms out to the bigger future of software work. As coding becomes more “disposable” and experimentation gets easier, Jeremy argues we’ll see faster breakthroughs driven by more people building more things. Peter agrees, predicting that in five years, high-performing engineers will look more like orchestrators: AI-native builders who can guide complex systems, think like architects, and stay deeply aligned with the business outcomes the software exists to serve.

Key Moments

05:07 "Building Software in Teams"

09:19 "Early Career Mindset Insights"

12:30 Hiring Algorithms Complexity Explained

15:39 AI Tools Revolutionizing Development

19:00 "AI-First Mindset in Education"

20:48 "Mastering Modern Tools for Success"

24:01 "AI and Technological Disruption"

28:17 "Disposable Code Speeds Innovation"

32:19 "AI Builders as Future Architects"

33:50 "System Building Through Vibecoding"

Why You’ll Love This Episode

A grounded look at what AI is actually changing for early career engineers, and what it isn’t. You’ll hear how one VP of Engineering evaluates entry-level readiness, why AI-native fluency is becoming non-negotiable, and why the future of engineering is less about writing every line of code and more about orchestrating systems with an architect’s mindset.

Connect with Peter Ngai | Vice President of Engineering, SnapLogic
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterngai/
Company Website: https://www.snaplogic.com/

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NO ENTRY Level By Pega6

Host: Jeremy Smith
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremyasmith

Pega6 Website: https://www.pega6.com/
Pega6 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pega6/

About NO ENTRY Level By Pega6

NO ENTRY Level is the podcast where the future of early career work gets real. Produced by Pega6, each episode features founders, operators, and talent leaders who are using AI, automation, and new hiring models to rethink what entry level roles look like and how to build teams that are ready for the jobs of tomorrow.