The Engine Behind AI: Why Data Engineering is in Demand | Stories From The Hackery

Stories from the Hackery

In this episode of Stories from the Hackery, we talk with Nashville tech leader and hiring manager Jason Turan about one of tech's most in-demand fields: data engineering. Jason, a long-time friend of NSS, was one of the first people to tell us that Nashville needed more data engineers. He shares his perspective on what a data engineer does, describing the role as the "connective tissue between data producers and data consumers". Listen in to hear us discuss: - Why data engineers are essential for flipping the 80/20 rule, allowing data scientists and analysts to spend less time cleaning data and more time finding insights. - How the rise of generative AI has acted as an "accelerant," increasing the need for high-quality data and the professionals who can provide it. - Actionable advice for getting started in the field, including the importance of focusing on a "T-shaped skillset" with SQL at its core. - Why Jason's number one piece of advice is to be curious, experiment, and "go out and do the thing". 01:20 Meet Jason Turan: His Tech Origin Story 03:04 Jason's History with NSS and Hiring Grads 07:28 Defining Data Engineering: The "Connective Tissue" of Tech 11:15 Why Nashville is a Hub for Data Engineers 13:56 Healthcare's Impact on Nashville's Data Jobs 20:35 How GenAI Accelerates the Need for Data Engineers 31:33 Getting Started: Lower Barriers to Entry 39:03 A Top Use Case for AI: Understanding Your Codebase 52:21 Misconceptions & the "T-Shaped Skillset" 55:29 The Value of Hands-On Learning: "Go Do the Thing" 58:52 Lightning Round: Favorite Tech Tools 01:00:32 Lightning Round: Top Reads & Resources Links Metabase: https://www.metabase.com/ DuckDB: https://duckdb.org/ MotherDuck: https://motherduck.com/ Ralph Kimball: The Data Warehouse Toolkit: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1118530802 Bill Inmon: Building the Data Warehouse: https://www.amazon.com/Building-Data-Warehouse-W-Inmon/dp/0764599445 Edward Tufte: The Visual Display of Quantitative Information: https://www.amazon.com/Visual-Display-Quantitative-Information/dp/0961392142 Brendan Keeler: The Health API Guy: https://healthapiguy.substack.com/ TLDR Newsletter: https://tldr.tech/ Nashville Technology Council (NTC): https://technologycouncil.com/