From Lockdown to Google to Independent AI Consulting. What Actually Worked

In March 2020, I couldn't write a single line of Python. By 2023, I was building dashboards and automating reporting for a Google project, saving 10 hours a week of manual work. By 2025, I was running my own Data & AI consulting practice from Tbilisi, Georgia. This isn't a "learn to code in 30 days" story. It's messy, non-linear, and full of detours. But if you're thinking about pivoting into data or going independent, some of this might be useful. Table of Contents The accidental start What the diploma didn't give me Getting into Google (through the back door) What I actually built there Why I left a comfortable position The consulting stack I use today The accidental start I grew up in the French Alps. Studied mechanics. Worked random jobs. No tech background whatsoever. Then COVID hit, and like millions of people, I was stuck at home. I stumbled onto free data science livestreams by a French educator and something clicked immediately. Not in a "this seems like a good career move" wa