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Data Engineers: The Workers Behind the Curtain
Author: Kavya Kannan
Posting date: 6/20/2019 12:39 PM
We're halfway through the year and our salary guide is out. If you wonder where you are, where you're going, and if you're a business, how you're going to get there. Well, then, you've come to the right place. Articles have touted Data Scientists as the "rock stars" of the 21st century, but even rock stars need their managers and roadies. Who else will build the stage and plan the tour? And in the world of data, it all begins with the Data Engineer, laying the groundwork, the foundation, and the framework. These are the stars behind the scenes who make it possible for Data and Data Scientists to be front and center.
Send a Data Engineer Over
As prevalent as Data has become in our lives and as its importance grows, there remains the challenge of Data Management. If you don't know why something is built or how to navigate the structure, the Data you do receive may not make much sense. Your guide in this journey is the Data Engineer, one of the most important pieces of your Data Management puzzle.
These highly skilled and sought-after professionals should not be confused with a Software Engineer, though some elements may be transferable between the two. The building blocks to put massive amounts of Data into a scalable system both reliable and secure takes a unique set of skills.
Humans at the Helm as Skills Shift
As much as we depend on Data today to help determine actionable insights for our business and as much as we hear about the rise of machines in the form of Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Deep Learning, it is ultimately humans who are at the helm.
It is the people behind the curtain of Data who will build it, run it, and make it work. It is also people who are typically the biggest costs in a project. Finding the balance and ideal candidate, the right person with the right skills for the job, is critical to success. And if you're starting from the ground up, Data Engineers who can work with the core tools of databases and Spark, for example, will see their opportunities grow.
In our Salary Guide for 2019, we learned one of the skills most sought after by companies today is knowing AWS/Azure and moving Data Lakes into the Cloud. Small businesses and startups are moving to the Cloud to help them scale their Data, but someone still needs to lay the groundwork, whether it's for the small business or the public cloud providers. Data Engineers are in high demand and it doesn't look as though things will be slowing down anytime soon. The field is slick with potential.
The Time Has Come for Transparency
Data is binary gold and, with enough of it, you can read or estimate the mind of your customer or you can wreak havoc on someone's life. Just a year ago, the European Union put into place rules and regulations as well as financial consequences for poor Data Governance under the General Data and Protections Regulation Act (GDPR). Though the U.S. doesn't yet have a similar law, there are still plenty of mandates to be aware of by states, unions, and countries.
One Final Thought
As roles and technology evolves, it's important for businesses, employees, and stakeholders to evolve as well. Whether that means making sure to implement practices for Data transparency or upskilling and reskilling your workforce to keep up or simply knowing the trends of forward-thinking companies to scale your own business.
Data fuels digital innovation and organizations who are prepared to find solutions will benefit. Want to know what else is trending in big data? Here are a few trends in Big Data forward-looking organizations should look out for in this year and toward the next.
Are you a business who knows you're ready to scale up and hire a Data professional? We have a strong candidate pool and may have just the person you need to fill your role. Are you a candidate looking for a role in Big Data & Analytics? We specialize in junior and senior roles. Check out our current vacancies or contact one of our recruitment consultants to learn more.
For our West Coast Team, call (415) 614 - 4999 or send an email to sanfraninfo@harnham.com.
For our Mid-West and East Coast Teams, call (212) 796 - 6070 or send an email to newyorkinfo@harnham.com.
Related blog & news
With over 10 years experience working solely in the Data & Analytics sector our consultants are able to offer detailed insights into the industry.
Visit our Blogs & News portal or check out our recent posts below.
HRTech Gets a Mindset Shift in 2020
Recent editor picks on LinkedIn highlight how jobs will change in the future. But as changes come, there are a dizzying array of tech advancements, products, and more in the job market landscape.If you've been looking through the telescopic lens of the Digital transformation and wonder, what's next? Well, we may have a role for you. If you're a business and wonder what's next, we have some ideas to help you identify, hire, and retain top talent within the Data professional industry. Setting a Mindset Shift We have reached a time in which simply adding the word "tech" to something has shifted. Thinking digitally, or the Digital transformation combines the why with who, how, and which. Who does our technology impact, how will it change how they work, and which advancement is best suited to answer the call? Below are just a few things to consider when developing your: Recruitment is a process, not a transaction. Interaction instead of reaction.Factor in not only human skills, but machine skills as well.Make employee experience a priority. Experience leads to Data which leads to Insights.Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning have a wider role to play within the recruitment space.Base software selection decisions on user experience. Include everyone who will use the software in both the vendor demonstration and the decision process.Seek references from vendors to foster trust and connect with other organizations.Cloud based solutions far outweigh non-cloud solutions in today's business climate. These are just a few suggestions to consider as you rethink your HR strategies. Incorporating technology with the human element is a new road for many businesses and essential for the future of work. Design for Data and Insights Whether you're talking about the employee experience or the customer journey, it's important to design the process to generate Data. When you use design thinking, you put people at the center and from there can measure the variables which offer insights into thoughts and feelings. When you know these answers, you can always be improving and optimize for success. As you consider what to invest in next, remember to think about the Data first. Use your workforce insights to determine the best way to move forward and understand how people impact your business. Measure effectiveness, but understand workforce insights go hand-in-hand with delivery. Rather than operating individually in a separate silo, everything is interconnected, just like in our day-to-day lives. It's this connectedness which is the greatest shift. From our phones, our iPads, our laptops, and so on, we are able to tap into workforce solutions and find at its center a structurally sound HR strategy to ensure next gen talent is identified, hired, and retained. While we often speak of what you can do to retain your top talent, another focus might be how you communicate with leadership. To ensure everyone is on the same page, it's important to be sure messaging is consistent across your organization. It's this messaging along with new systems and strategies in which training and education play an even bigger part than in the past. There's so much to learn and it comes so fast, that adoption of new technologies must be thought out in advance. Try to avoid chasing the next shiny object or new advancement and have a plan in place for staff and stakeholders to follow. Setting your top priorities now, as we enter a new decade of Data, can help ensure you're proactive in your business strategy, not reactive. If you're interested in AI, Big Data and Digital or Web Analytics, we may have a role for you. Check out our current opportunities or get in touch with one of our expert consultants to learn more. For our West Coast Team, call (415) 614 - 4999 or send an email to sanfraninfo@harnham.com. For our Mid-West and East Coast Teams, call (212) 796 - 6070 or send an email to newyorkinfo@harnham.com.
by Thomas Daughtrey
Can the New Decade Bring What the Last Decade Missed?
GDPR in Europe. State-by-state data privacy laws in the U.S. Online businesses which got their start in dorm rooms and garages have entered every arena including grocery, health, and politics. Social media habits are no longer in the purview of angsty teens, but are in high demand by corporations; reaching to the highest office in this land. Data infuses every business, day-to-day life, and personal preference, but has it been the grand design imagined at the turn of this century? We can speak with people around the world in real-time, but the internet and the data it gathers has raised a curtain we can hide behind. What had once been intended to unite us, had alienated us instead. As we enter a new decade, it begs the question. Can the new decade bring what the last decade missed? Grand Statements Distract from the Bigger Picture Somewhere between the Y2K scare and the predictions of a digital age, tendrils of the then superhighway began to weave itself into our daily lives. Shouting its pros from the rooftops, and little to nothing of the cons, we became apathetic to our own sensibilities. We put our faith in tech, expecting it to tame the wild side of the possibilities within the internet's environment. It didn't. We held grandiose ideals that technology would free us from the daily grind. Allow us to do more. Instead, we hold a computer in our hand and are available 24/7. No rest for the weary. As we attempt to disentangle ourselves, and focus on coordinated efforts to right twenty years of laissez-faire policy, we can look to the Harris Poll Alienation Index. Want to know what people believe and how to help them help themselves? This is a great place to start. Where Do We Fit? Really. Over the last few years, we've focused on diversity and inclusion with a focus on those in the Data industry. But beyond race and gender, there's a wider gap and the Harris Poll strives to help us understand what's wrong so we can fix it. After all, isn't this the basis of why we seek Data? To have the information we need to correct a problem? Data is the new oil. Data Scientists are the next rock stars. These statements and similar filled headlines in the second half of the 2010s. While its true, the question is, what does it mean? Well, it depends. Data is a commodity and when it comes to healthcare, social services, food, and housing, it's important to have the right information. On the flip side, it can be used to skew feelings further to one side or the other. And that can cause bigger problems. So, the question becomes not 'can the new decade bring what the last decade missed,' but 'what should we be asking and where do we fit, really?' What the Last Decade Missed Without meaning to, the last decade alienated most of us from the powers that be and from each other. In our excitement to connect, we have 5,000 friends or connections, none of whom we know. Slowly, the norm is building to have "offline meetings" once again. Remember when it was the other way around? Our Data isn't our own and its only been in recent years, major platforms have attempted to listen. Feelings persist of loneliness, anger, and a sense that no one is listening or cares. Driving the wedge further is class and incentivization. We want to belong. But in our most recent digital world, it's a 'pay to play' belonging. One Final Thought… It may seem as though this has been a disparagement about the digital world. But ultimately, it's a cautionary tale of the changes which are possible as we enter this new decade. After all, we want to fill the gap the last decade missed and changes are already under way. We have begun to come together much more in the way the digital nation was intended. New startups are paying attention to how people feel and what they want or need. Businesses need soft skills to balance out the technical skills to help with communication across departments and for stakeholders. Can you talk to a UX Designer or Data Engineer as easily as you can talk to an Executive? Can you take a request from an Executive and explain it to your Data Analyst? It's this flexibility which remains an important skill to focus on the next decade begins. Are you up for the challenge? If so, we may have a role for you. Take a look at our current opportunities or get in touch with one of our expert consultants to learn more: For our West Coast Team, call (415) 614 - 4999 or send an email to sanfraninfo@harnham.com. For our Mid-West and East Coast Teams, call (212) 796 - 6070 or send an email to newyorkinfo@harnham.com.
by Bryan Minami
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