How a 'Mad Scientist' Approach Landed Nitya Kumar an AI Role at Adobe

Coming from an art school background without formal machine learning training, Kumar initially faced the common paralysis of trying to master an entire technical field at once. She opted for a modular approach, dedicating one hour daily to specific tools like Cursor. By focusing on tangible, often whimsical projects—such as a gesture-tracking dance game and a matcha recipe generator—she built a functional 'vibe coding' workflow. This methodology allowed her to gain confidence with platforms including Gemini, Claude, and Figma MCP.

These unconventional projects became a centerpiece of her interview process, turning standard technical evaluations into collaborative discussions. After four months of self-directed learning, she joined Adobe in November 2025 to work on agentic AI and conversational assistants. Now established in her role, Kumar facilitates bi-weekly AI workshops for her design team in India. By guiding colleagues through prototype debugging and workflow integration, she has transitioned from an experimental learner into a team leader, proving that creative curiosity can effectively bridge the gap between design and deep technical implementation.