Blogs

CompanyEngineering Blogs

Source: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/livesamarthgupta_github-docker-instagram-activity-6947453249104805889-Triy?utm_source=linkedin_share&utm_medium=member_desktop_web

Data is the core of any data infrastructure

Daily reminder that despite the amazing technology in the Modern Data Stack, the core of any data infrastructure is the data itself. If that data has no connection to business value, is devoid of context, has no clear producer/owner, is poorly designed, and can’t play nicely with other semantic concepts, all the money in the world won’t turn your ‘stack’ from a cost center to a value add.

Be careful not to over-optimize for ‘second order’ data impacts. Yes, being able to pull massive amounts of data in batch/real-time is very cool. Yes, monitoring is awesome and useful. Yes, it’s true that excellent BI is incredibly important. But please remember that some of the most valuable data infrastructures in the world (orders of magnitude more valuable than most modern data set-ups today) were built without ANY of these modern technologies.

With a solid foundation of well-designed data that maps back to real-world meaning then the Modern Data Stack is an incredible addition to any data team’s infrastructure. But without it, organizations are layering complexity on top of a ruined foundation - marred by spiraling tech debt. Always prioritize the data first.

Modern Data Stack

Source: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/chad-sanderson_daily-reminder-that-despite-the-amazing-technology-activity-6947590189955321856-kpt7?utm_source=linkedin_share&utm_medium=member_desktop_web

You should write online every single day.

You should write online every single day.

Here’s what will happen:

  • Some people will love it.
  • Some people will hate it.
  • Many people will ignore it.

It doesn’t matter.

Writing is a critical piece of personal growth

If you want to start writing, here are 3 things that work for me:

  1. Build something
    • Anything. A website. A newsletter. An app. A course. An eBook. A marketplace. A car.
    • Then, write about the ups and downs.
    • Publish it.
  2. Journal for 15 minutes at the end of each day.
    • What did you learn that day? Brain dump it.
    • Cut out all the fluff. Make it easy to digest.
    • Post it.
  3. Reframe interesting articles
    • Schedule time each week to review saved articles.
    • Pull out the most interesting thing you read. Write your perspective on it.
    • Add your flair + send it.

Or do none of these things and try something else, because what works for me may not work for you.

But if you’re trying, at least you’re starting.

Try today.

It’s a muscle you’ll never regret building.

Source: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/justinwelsh_you-should-write-online-every-single-day-activity-6947594525980692481-wQ85?utm_source=linkedin_share&utm_medium=member_desktop_web

The Anatomy of a Viral LinkedIn Post

Source: https://www.justinwelsh.me/blog/04232022

5 questions for endless content

Source: https://www.justinwelsh.me/blog/6112022

David Ogilvy 10 Tips on Writing

The better you write, the higher you go in Ogilvy & Mather. People who think well, write well.

Woolly minded people write woolly memos, woolly letters and woolly speeches.

Good writing is not a natural gift. You have to learn to write well. Here are 10 hints:

  1. Read the Roman-Raphaelson book on writing. Read it three times.
  2. Write the way you talk. Naturally.
  3. Use short words, short sentences and short paragraphs.
  4. Never use jargon words like reconceptualize, demassification, attitudinally, judgmentally. They are hallmarks of a pretentious ass.
  5. Never write more than two pages on any subject.
  6. Check your quotations.
  7. Never send a letter or a memo on the day you write it. Read it aloud the next morning—and then edit it.
  8. If it is something important, get a colleague to improve it.
  9. Before you send your letter or your memo, make sure it is crystal clear what you want the recipient to do.
  10. If you want ACTION, don’t write. Go and tell the guy what you want.

Source: https://fs.blog/david-ogilvy-10-tips-on-writing/

Why You Should Write Weekly 15-5s

Source: https://eugeneyan.com/writing/15-5/

An incomplete list of skills senior engineers need, beyond coding

For varying levels of seniority, from senior, to staff, and beyond.

  1. How to run a meeting, and no, being the person who talks the most in the meeting is not the same thing as running it
  2. How to write a design doc, take feedback, and drive it to resolution, in a reasonable period of time
  3. How to mentor an early-career teammate, a mid-career engineer, a new manager who needs technical advice
  4. How to indulge a senior manager who wants to talk about technical stuff that they don’t really understand, without rolling your eyes or making them feel stupid
  5. How to explain a technical concept behind closed doors to a senior person too embarrassed to openly admit that they don’t understand it
  6. How to influence another team to use your solution instead of writing their own
  7. How to get another engineer to do something for you by asking for help in a way that makes them feel appreciated
  8. How to lead a project even though you don’t manage any of the people working on the project
  9. How to get other engineers to listen to your ideas without making them feel threatened
  10. How to listen to other engineers’ ideas without feeling threatened
  11. How to give up your baby, that project that you built into something great, so you can do something else
  12. How to teach another engineer to care about that thing you really care about (operations, correctness, testing, code quality, performance, simplicity, etc)
  13. How to communicate project status to stakeholders
  14. How to convince management that they need to invest in a non-trivial technical project
  15. How to build software while delivering incremental value in the process
  16. How to craft a project proposal, socialize it, and get buy-in to execute it
  17. How to repeat yourself enough that people start to listen
  18. How to pick your battles
  19. How to help someone get promoted
  20. How to get information about what’s really happening (how to gossip, how to network)
  21. How to find interesting work on your own, instead of waiting for someone to bring it to you
  22. How to tell someone they’re wrong without making them feel ashamed
  23. How to take negative feedback gracefully

Source: An incomplete list of skills senior engineers need, beyond coding

Ref: The Manager’s Path

4 Key Pillars of Data Science

  1. Domain Knowledge
  2. Math Skills
  3. Computer Science
  4. Communication Skill

Source: https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/4-key-pillars-of-data-science/

How to contribute to Open Source

Source: https://opensource.guide/how-to-contribute/