Gestational diabetes is a fairly common precursor for people with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. So yes, please treat gestational diabetes as an advance warning. This means attention to diet (lower carb is usually helpful), weight, activity, and the need for regular monitoring (hba1c testing every 6 - 12 months is a great idea). Be aware of diabetes symptoms and if in doubt test.
Interesting question. It is true that having gestational diabetes has implications of eventually having dm2. Just like having pregnancy hypertension is a precursor to high blood pressure in later years. For most women, they do not go on to have diabetes but if someone has gestation diabetes, they need to fully manage during pregnancy and then get tested after giving birth at 6 to 12 weeks and then every 1 to 3 years after that according to the CDC. That's soon after. Down the road, developing type 2 diabetes can also happen so watching weight, eating healthy and exercising are important.
Do you have gestational diabetes?