Ask HN: Starting as a junior data engineer tips?

1 points by jamboca 1 year ago | 2 comments

hello hacker news

i am starting soon remotely as a junior data engineer at a health tech company. i have some experience in this kind of data stuff but not in the specific technologies of the company.

it's my first real job and i have some questions if anyone more experienced would be able to pitch in?

what should i be on the look out for, and how can i prepare? for my long term career, what are the options? should i stay here a while or move on after a time for more $? im not sure what the roadmaps look like but i would appreciate any advice from people with some time in the world already.

austin-cheney 1 year ago |

In order to do you and your career some justice you have two silos of knowledge to fill: technology and people.

Both are products of intelligence, but the soft skills are really more important than the technology skills and will ultimately dictate your career elevation. Things to learn: active listening, writing, persuasion, diplomacy, forcing an unwelcome decision, administration, and more. These take practice to master and people in software tend to really neglect developing these skills.

On the technology side learn to think like an engineer: execute with evidence, identify bias versus measures, organization and data structures, and solution exploration. In the end it’s all about finding the better solution but many software developers can’t get over themselves enough to think like that.

not_your_vase 1 year ago |

Lol, you haven't even started, but already asking if/when you should leave? Excellent.

If you are serious about your career, then rethinking this attitude should be the first step.

If it's just a meme, then no change is needed.