4 Stupidly Simple Strategies for Your Data Engineering Career
Learn, Try, Stay, and Prepare for Anything
This AI thing is going nuts, and I feel tired of it all. It’s in your face no matter which way you turn. I even saw an AI-powered toothbrush awhile back and realized things are way out of control. For the everyday folk out there (those not in Data or tech), I guess this must seem like some kind of weird fad that will come and go, or maybe they’re not really bothered?
For the data people in the audience, we know. AI is here for better or for worse. What can you do about it? Not much. Get on board and hold on tight, I guess.
I’ve been in this game long enough to know that this sort of thing happens every couple of years. People downright shit themselves in sheer panic when something like this happens; they scoot off to try and master it all. ‘You must learn this now or you won’t get a job,’ they scream. I remember when people were saying on-prem was going to die and you had to know ‘the cloud’ — or else! Well, it’s 2024, and people are still using tin on-prem; it ain’t going anywhere. Those same folks used to say SQL is a dying art too. Hmm… insert long hard eye roll.
To the data folk out there freaking out, I say this to you: Chill. The dust will settle, and when it does, the lay of the land won’t look the same, for sure. It will be different, but it will be full of opportunities. Opportunities to learn and to grow and do things differently. You will get to carve out a new trail. Find a new path. One that will be similar, but different. You can’t let people scare you into thinking you have to learn everything. They can’t see the future any better than you can.
So, should you learn — yes! Should you learn everything that these AI nerds are throwing at you — no.
You and I are human, and we have lives and other things going on. We have limited time to get things done. What you need is a strategy, a game plan, and a sprinkle of common sense. You can’t know it all, but you can be clever about things.
For me, I stick to four simple rules that keep me honest when times change.
1 — I keep learning
In data you’ve got to keep learning. How do you do that? You learn by doing. By trying things out. You learn by error. By doing it wrong, then by doing it right. You learn from others (the successes and the failures). You learn by figuring it out step by step. You learn by repetition. You learn by collaborating with others. Learn, and never ever stop. Find what works for you. If you’re good at SQL, get better at it. If Python is your weak spot, work on it. Keep learning and adding things to your toolkit. Master the fundamentals; over time, learning and picking up new things gets easier.
2 — I keep trying
Try what you learned. No point in learning if you don’t put what you learn into action. No point in watching that tutorial or reading that book if you’re not going to apply it. I spent years watching people do things and never doing them myself. I never tried, so I never learned. Try. There are a lot of things that seem daunting at first, but when you understand them, they make sense. To understand you have to try them. Sometimes, things I read or see online seem mind-boggling. It’s only when I try them myself. When I break down the tool, the problem, or the process, and give it a whirl myself do I understand things fully. The scary seems normal when you have a crack at it. You don’t learn until you try. So try! What if you fail? Well, try again! Simple.
3 — I stay at it
Not staying at something long enough to get good is the downfall of many. If you stick at something long enough, you will get good, maybe even great. A lot of people are great at starting but suck at staying at it. Don’t collect unfinished tutorials and courses. Consistency is the key to all learning. If you want a good career in data, consistency is your superpower. When I started learning SQL way back when, it was tough. I’d start and then stop; it never worked — doomed to fail. I’d always have to go back to the beginning when I picked it up again. It was only when I strung the days, the months, and the years together when I stayed consistent in my learning that things clicked. Time and discipline are what you need to get to where you want to go.
4 — I get prepared
Accept what you cannot change. I have no control over the fate of the data industry, and neither do you. I can’t foresee what is coming down the road. What I can do is be prepared as best I can. I focus on what I have control over, like making time to keep learning. Working on my soft skills, networking with people who I look up to, the ones who will help me grow and push me to be better. These things pay dividends in the long run. These are the things you should be focusing on. Not what new shiny thing is going to happen in data engineering, or chasing the latest trends and technologies that may quickly be forgotten. Whatever’s going to happen will happen. You don’t have a say. Train your mind to be ready for whatever may come. Prepare for the worst, hope for the best.
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