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What To Do About A Data Leak & An Unlikely Data Career Path

ICYMI: The best of Pipeline: Your Data Engineering Resource, March 2024.

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I’ve come to the disturbing conclusion that a certain amount of existential dread will accommodate nearly all career decisions. As a participant in a capitalist economy, my (and most likely your) job is connected to my healthcare, retirement and, to a lesser extent, social capital. It’s not really original to say this, but it’s worth emphasizing because at any American social gathering the question “what do you do for work?” might as well be “why are you worth talking to?”

My buzzy job title (anything “data” is in these days, both economically and socially), generates conversational interest which quickly wanes once I start explaining what I do. But I take that social burden in stride because I used to “do” next to nothing, or at least nothing worth bringing up in conversation. Post-undergrad, I stumbled into a job at Disney and then endured COVID Disney, a day-to-day reality I’ve discussed before.

What I’ve glossed over, however, is how I was motivated (and, frankly, lucky) to use 14-hour shifts walking resort pool decks to my advantage, eventually landing a data engineering job at a company with which you’re undoubtedly familiar.