There's no shortage of technical content for data engineers, but a massive gap exists when it comes to the non-technical skills required to advance beyond a senior role. I sit down with Yordan Ivanov, Head of Data Engineering and writer of "Data Gibberish," to talk about this disconnect.
We dive into his personal journey of failing as a manager the first time, learning the crucial "people" skills, and his current mission to help data engineers learn how to speak the language of business.
Key areas we explore:
- The Senior-Level Content Gap: Yordan explains why his non-technical content on career strategy and stakeholder communication gets "terrible" engagement compared to technical posts, even though it's what's needed to advance.
- The Managerial Trap: Yordan's candid story about his first attempt at management, where he failed because he cared only about code and wasn't equipped for the people-centric aspects and politics of the role.
- The Danger of AI Over-reliance: A deep discussion on how leaning too heavily on AI can prevent the development of fundamental thinking and problem-solving skills, both in coding and in life.
- The Maturing Data Landscape: We reflect on the end of the "modern data stack euphoria" and what the wave of acquisitions means for innovation and the future of data tooling.
- AI Adoption in Europe vs. the US: A look at how AI adoption is perceived as massive and mandatory in Europe, while US census data shows surprisingly low enterprise adoption rates
