Reaching 20k+ readers on Medium and nearly 3k learners by email, I draw on my 4 years of experience as a Senior Data Engineer to demystify data science, cloud and programming concepts while sharing job hunt strategies so you can land and excel in data-driven roles. Subscribe for 500 words of actionable advice every Thursday.
[ETR #31] Master An Underappreciated DE Skill
Extract. Transform. Read.A newsletter from Pipeline. *Today's edition was initially published on Medium on 12/10/24 Hi past, present or future data professional! I’ve recently been honing a data engineering skill that might not occur to you—drawing. When I first started my data engineering job 3+ years ago, any description or information related to my code would be in written form. This meant everything from README documentation to illegible legal pad scribbles would be all I had to inform decisions about design and implementation. Lately, however, my tasks have grown in both complexity and volume. What I need to convey to myself and my team won't fit on one sheet of paper. And if it did, it wouldn’t make a bit of sense. So I’ve turned to diagramming tools. I use tools like Microsoft Visio and Draw IO to create clear depictions of pipelines. This makes it easy to:
And, finally, the act of creating an architecture (arch) diagram subtly communicates something: That significant thought went into what you want to propose or present. Anyone can scribble in a shared doc or reference a notebook of ideas. Taking the time to spend time compiling a visualization demonstrates intent and care. This translates to you communicating your investment in making sure your build is possible and functional. Otherwise, it’s back to the (literal) drawing board. Feel free to scribble down this week’s links.
Questions? zach@pipelinetode.com Thanks for ingesting, -Zach Quinn |
Extract. Transform. Read.
Reaching 20k+ readers on Medium and nearly 3k learners by email, I draw on my 4 years of experience as a Senior Data Engineer to demystify data science, cloud and programming concepts while sharing job hunt strategies so you can land and excel in data-driven roles. Subscribe for 500 words of actionable advice every Thursday.
Hi past, present or future data professional! If you’re in the U.S., Happy Thanksgiving! I’m prepping for my food coma, so I’ll make this week’s newsletter quick. Like millions of Americans, I’ll be watching NFL football (go Ravens!). The average NFL game is 3 hours. If you can skip just one of today’s games and carve out that time for professional development, here’s how I’d spend it. In the spirit of football, I’ll split the time designation into 4 quarters. Documentation pass - if you read...
Extract. Transform. Read. A newsletter from PipelineToDE Hi past, present or future data professional! In 2 weeks or so The Oxford English Dictionary will reveal its 2025 word of the year, a semi-democratic process that lends academic legitimacy to words like “rizz” (2023’s pick). If you’re currently employed or interact with white collar workers, you would think the word of the year is “headwinds.” Used in a sentence: “We’ve pivoted our AI strategy but still encountered headwinds that...
Extract. Transform. Read. A newsletter from PipelineToDE Hi past, present or future data professional! After choosing a dataset, one of the most significant decisions you must make when creating displayable work is: How am I going to build this thing? For some, you may try to “vibe code” along with an LLM doing the grunt technical work. If you choose this approach, be warned: Nearly half of all “vibe code” generated contains security vulnerabilities and that’s before you even consider its...