As I work on becoming a data engineer, I decided to apply inversion and anticipate the future. Inversion is about going backward, starting where I want to be and asking what happened and what I did to get there, then asking again what was the previous step until I get to where I’m today. I’m looking at the good and bad outcome and how to get to both of them. This will help me plan for the good outcome and avoid the bad one.
Invert, Always Invert
Good outcome
I have the necessary skills to move to a data engineering position. I’m proficient in tools and technologies. I have skills also in theory and the know-how to work with data. I am applying for a job and should be able to have a good idea of the questions.
What I did?
- Subscribed to https://learndataengineering.com/
- Completed nanodegree for data engineer
- Studied from 5-10 hours a week
- Followed newsletter and essential sites on the topic
- Spoke with others about my plans and learn from other data engineers
Then what? What will the problem be?
I’m Landing in a new role, learning to work in a new environment and maybe a different way.
Being a data engineer is not what I expect? (I can gather more information on this)
Bad outcome
Twelve months later, I’m not ready to work in data. I’m lost in any interview
What I did?
- Didn’t complete any of the nanodegree programas
- Didn’t read books, articles and didn’t express my interest in data engineering
- Didn’t set time during the week to study
- Didn’t express to my leads my interest in becoming a data engineer
Then what? What are the consequences?
Wasted time, wasted money as well. End with lower self-esteem for not committing to my goals and feeling stuck in my career.
How to track?
- I should complete the nanodegree in time:
- https://www.udacity.com/course/data-streaming-nanodegree–nd029 (January 15th)
- In 6 months, I should already read at least one book on the topic (Designing data-intensive applications)(https://www.analyticsvidhya.com/blog/2020/02/9-data-engineering-books-must-read/)
Next steps
- Schedule study time (5-10 hours/week)
- Start reading book
- Schedule checkpoints for the next 12 months (3, 6, 9, 11 months).
Other resources
https://www.startdataengineering.com/post/data-engineering-project-for-beginners-batch-edition/
https://github.com/andkret/Cookbook