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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.

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[ETR #71] Burnt Out in 2021: The Best Decision I Made (Not Coding)

Extract. Transform. Read. A newsletter from PipelineToDE Hi past, present or future data professional! I want to share the single most important realization I had back in the summer of 2021. I was burned out, juggling two part-time jobs, trying to plan a wedding, and drowning in full-time job applications. I felt overwhelmed and underprepared as I plunged into a sea of candidates I perceived to be more intelligent and better "fits" than me. My portfolio was full of the usual Titanic, Iris,...

Extract. Transform. Read. A newsletter from PipelineToDE Hi past, present or future data professional! One of the most validating and terrifying professional moments is reaching the final interview round. It is in this context that you meet candidacy’s final boss, who incidentally, usually ends up being your boss' boss. Specifically I’m referring to the department executive responsible for bringing in additional headcount, i.e. you. While this may sound intimidating, the role of the executive...

Extract. Transform. Read. A newsletter from PipelineToDE Hi past, present or future data professional! If you’re a job seeker in the data space, your GitHub portfolio has only one job: To act as a calling card that gets you to the next step of the hiring process. Too often, I review portfolios for potential referrals and see brilliant code buried under structural mistakes that have nothing to do with programming skill. Your GitHub is not just cloud storage for your code; it’s a public display...

Extract. Transform. Read. A newsletter from PipelineToDE Hi past, present or future data professional! Despite crushing autocorrect scenarios, most AI code assistants like CoPilot miss a critical step when helping developers of any experience level: Validation. Arguably, leveraging an AI Agent to validate a code’s quality is on the user. But a surprising amount of experienced programmers are taking the worrying approach of believing an AI’s first “thought” when it comes to code that will...

Extract. Transform. Read. A newsletter from Pipeline Hi past, present or future data professional! A data science manager recently gave me some blunt, liberating advice over coffee: “If a team lead really cares what cloud technology you know (AWS, GCP, etc.) and doesn’t consider transferable experience… run.” This critical advice, which informs the conclusion of my soon-to-be-released ebook on data engineering project development, cuts to the core of a major problem in data hiring: The...

Extract. Transform. Read. A newsletter from Pipeline Hi past, present, or future data professional! For all of the latest tech trends that come and go, one idea has always persisted in the tech world: Longevity isn’t cool. I say this because I recently hit a professional milestone: 4 years with my current organization. My career trajectory offers a counter-narrative to the “job-hopping is the only way to succeed” mentality. My goal isn't to convince you to be a “lifer,” but to demonstrate...

Extract. Transform. Read. A newsletter from Pipeline Hi past, present or future data professional!The most dramatic dataset in the U.S. right now is labor data. Marred by revisions, official firings and general distrust, when the dust clears, U.S. unemployment hovers around 4%. The tech sector, specifically, ticked up from an all-time low to 3%, with overall jobs and postings decreasing significantly. While 3% is far from the industry’s record 5.7% set earlier this year, it is concerning.Ok....

Extract. Transform. Read. A newsletter from Pipeline Hi past, present or future data professional! I dreaded entering the job market after my data science master's. I felt like I knew more than a data analyst but less than a professional data scientist. I've since realized my program was more effective than I thought, but it couldn't prepare me for the key areas like cloud deployments and real-world problem-solving I had to learn on the job as a data engineer. And I’ve noticed these gaps in...

Extract. Transform. Read. A newsletter from Pipeline Hi past, present or future data professional! If you live in the U.S., this week marks the end of back to school season; though, if you’re like my southern relatives, you’ve been back since July. The closest feeling most adults get to back to school (aside from the teachers), is starting a new job. While a new org, title and compensation package represents new opportunities, it’s also easy to feel like the “new kid”, which can lead to being...

Extract. Transform. Read. A newsletter from Pipeline Hi past, present or future data professional! I once participated in a remote job interview in which the interviewer was on the video call while driving... and smoking. While that instance was among the most memorable interview experiences (for the wrong reasons), I’ve had just as many interviews that have blended together and faded into the recesses of my mind. The common denominator, however, was the insistence on asking one question. The...