Was macht ein Junior Data Engineer? Nam Do im Interview

Background

How did you get into programming?

I have always do programming during bachelor and master years. Starting out with an introduction code to C / C++ back in a bachelor course then gaining experiences of coding in various programming languages when taking project, thesis...

At what age did you start?

Around 20 if I remember correctly, but I have been programming seriously for just 1 year on my job.

Which programming language did you first get excited about?

Python for now, Java is my next.

Your DevJob

What exactly is your DevJob about?

Programming data pipelines for various purposes. Transfering and cleaning data back and forth various platforms, like Hive, Google Cloud Platform...
I'm currently using Airflow and NiFi for it.

What do you particularly like about your DevJob?

Creative!!

What kind of challenges do you face specifically in your DevJob?

No fix solutions on any problem. Choosing 1 optimal solution is the hardest part as some solution may look trivial but it may fall under some racing- condition or similar...

What are your preferred technologies?

Kubenetes, Airflow, NiFi, GCP...

Windows or Mac?

Good question... I'm on Linux *sweating*

Personal and Professional Growth

Which Dev Projects do you have outside of your work?

Some machine learning projects, nothing too significant, just to keep my knowledge up-to-date on these field.
I'm working up on mastering my programming foundation via taking courses through coursera or challenging my self via website like hackerrank...

How do you keep yourself up to date for your job?

Read papers, news, talking with friends from other companies, following some celebrity (in data science field), LinkedIn to get updated on their latest revision on something.

Where do you see yourself in the future?

I'd like to transition gradually into machine learning engineer and be more proficient in my German skills.

Tips for beginners

How do you start programming and what should you start with?

Take an introduction course on any language you may like and find a project to do. If you have no motivation, just find a thesis or project in your school/university where you are forced to complete it or get expelled.
I do not recommend to read too many books before you get some real experiences on the language. Reading comes after you got enough trials and errors so that you will know what should you focus and avoid reading too widely on something unncessary or you do not need for now.

Which skills are required for your work?

Teamwork. Believe me or not, learning how to work on a team, how to use Git on colaborated projects and learn when should you seek for advises from seniors colleagues is more important than any technical skills you may have.

In your opinion, what kind of education helps to be good at your DevJob?

This is just a personal idea. I think I need to attend more seminar or courses on a platforms I'm using to get to know more of the use cases. Talking with experienced people, learning from their mistakes, and read books (but again, should just focus on what are needed at that moment).