I dubbed Joram Mutenge as a “trifecta” when it comes to the data profession. He is a data engineer, data analyst, and data scientist! As with many people, the route wasn’t a straight one, but suits him well once he learned to love the parts few enjoy and how to be safely creative within data.

To become as valuable as possible, Joram has spent time learning SQL, Python, and JavaScript. We discussed multiple tools and libraries along with how to approach a web-based visualization as opposed to a print visualization. He’s now also learning Rust!

One of his biggest recommendations for anyone trying to learn something new? It’s not random tutorials! Instead, consider a “curated” path of learning. When you invest some level of money into a course or something similar, you’re more likely to finish it because you’re also financially invested and you won’t waste as much time jumping around and trying to put the pieces together on your own.

In this episode, we’ll talk about Joram’s journey into data engineering, the differences between data engineering/analytics/science, various languages and tools he works with, data cleanliness, how to learn and using a curated learning path, and where we can focus energy to spend our time wisely.

Your call to action? → Useless things take just as much effort as useful things. Ask yourself: Is what I’m doing right now useful to what I’m trying to accomplish?

Chapters

00:00 Journey into Data Engineering
05:27 The Importance of Data Cleaning
10:14 The Trifecta of Data Roles
11:55 Thinking in Tables
15:53 Learning Paths and Curated Education
25:52 Embracing Rust in Data Engineering
32:27 Final Thoughts on Effort and Utility

The Good Stuff - Links & More

• LinkedIn

• Joram’s blog

• So Good They Can’t Ignore You by Cal Newport

• Data-focused libraries & tools discussed:

  • D3

  • Apache ECharts

  • Matplotlib

  • Plotly

  • hvPlot

  • Pandas

  • Polars

Thanks & Gratitude 🙏

The background music in this episode was created by the amazing Sarah Garlock.
You can also find Sarah @sarg_makes_beats on Instagram and TikTok!

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