Most people work with data, some are even very good at it. But when you’re a “data person” you develop different ways of thinking, different habits. You’re #CuriousAboutData, so read on!
Some people do whatever they do because “they don’t have a choice”. Of course they always do, but that’s a different story. Others are blessed with not only liking what they do, but become deeply attached to and identified by their work.
That’s what you call being a craftsman.
At BitWise we cultivate exceptional craftsmanship. Everyone has to understand data inside out. Why, how — everything.
Mind you, this is not about a life-work balance in any shape or form (we don’t allow long hours and prioritize normalcy over everything else). This is about how we look at life in general.
So, being a “data person” is different from “working with data”.
I first became aware of this few years back when I spoke up in a meeting about a data risk that the leading architect considered to be “remote”. After the meeting, one of the senior participants pulled me over and complimented me on my experience. I was taken aback. What did I say? I was just stating the obvious. Until I realized that it was firstly only obvious to more experienced participants, and most importantly, only I felt strongly enough to speak up about it — because that’s what a “data person” does!
In another example, someone showed me an SQL function that returns a NULL when it should return a value.
— “Something strange is going on here” he claimed.
— As a “data person”, I know that nothing strange ever happens with data.
So, I gave him a few ideas as to what to check. Sure enough, one of those possibilities turned out to be the problem.
Mark my words: There are no gremlins in data.
I’ll be first to admit that this obsession with details and data safety can be too much for many people out there.
But at BitWise, that’s what we’re into — so it works out well.
We like people, so feel free to call or write. Humans only.
