In this episode featured not-expert is Sam LaFell. Sam is a Solutions Architect at Snowflake and has extensive past experience as a data engineer, which is the subject of our conversation today.

All the links to support me:

campsite.bio/readysetdo

campsite.bio/readysetdo

campsite.bio/readysetdo

Resources:

Sam: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samlafell/

Timestamps:00:00 - Background + Introduction01:39 - Sam's hot take on Data Engineering 03:26 - Delineating the three data fields - science, analytics + engineering 06:48 - The Lifecycle of Data Pipelines 08:12 - Why are data pipelines not a one-and-done? 11:36 - Switching into a tech career from comms background 16:21 - Getting A Masters in Analytics 17:15 - Switching to Data Engineering position 19:21 - Teaching oneself Python without any background 21:13 - WHY Data Engineering? 24:26 - Skills, resources and tools required for switching to data engineering 26:03 - Example of a GOOD data engineering project 28:36 - BUILD THIS PROJECT TO GET HIRED! 33:36 - Must-know TOOLS for data engineering and for your resume 35:13 - The Role of a Solutions Architect 38:52 - Story-telling is a key skill for solution architects 40:31 - AI's Impact on Data Engineering 43:21 - Outro + Gratitude