The Engine Behind AI: Why Data Engineering is in Demand | 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/