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In this episode of the Data Neighbor Podcast, we chat with VK Xu, a data engineer at Meta, about her remarkable journey from a background in journalism to becoming a data engineer at one of the world’s leading tech companies. VK shares how she transitioned from being a non-technical data journalist to mastering coding, analytics, and engineering in the tech world.

We dive into her experiences working at startups like Hoodline and Nextdoor, and how she embraced challenges, sought mentorship, and eventually made the leap to Meta. VK’s story is a testament to the power of adaptability, curiosity, and finding what truly excites you in your career.

We explore key topics like:
– VK’s pivot from journalism to data engineering
– The power of mentorship and finding your strengths
– Building a career at Nextdoor and transitioning to Meta
– Navigating challenges in data engineering and AI’s impact

Whether you’re considering a career pivot, aspiring to break into data engineering, or curious about what it’s like to work at Meta, this episode is packed with practical advice, personal stories, and inspiration to help guide your own journey.

Chapters:

0:00 Introduction
1:35 Starting in Data Journalism
3:36 First Big Story Success
7:21 Transition to Data Science
11:16 Learning to Code Quickly
14:57 Moving into Analytics
20:00 Pivoting to New Passions
26:32 Joining Meta for Scale
29:47 Mentorship and Career Tips
33:41 Breaking Into Data Engineering
42:40 Future of Data Engineering
47:01 Rapid-Fire Questions
52:26 Final Thoughts

Subscribe for more episodes where we explore data science, machine learning, data engineering, business intelligence, and career growth!

Connect with VK: https://linkedin.openinapp.co/dfk5m

Connect with Hai, Sravya, and Shane:
Hai Guan : https://linkedin.openinapp.co/4qi1r
Sravya Madipalli : https://linkedin.openinapp.co/9be8c
Shane Butler : https://linkedin.openinapp.co/b02fe

If you need personalized advice in your data career, send us a message on LinkedIn or post a comment below!

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3BZnavSZaJ1VibgGa7uRH4
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/data-neighbor-podcast/id1780934430

#dataengineering #datascience #careeradvice #careerpivot #techcareer #meta #mentorship #careerpath #bigtech #transitionstories #ai #analytics #meta

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The Data Neighbor Podcast: Your go-to destination for exploring the world of data analytics and data science. We cover everything from data analyst roadmap 2024 and data science roadmap 2024 to sql projects for data analyst and measurable data. Dive into insights on btech ai and data science, data science and ai course, and foundation of data science. Learn practical tips on sql queries in dbms, sql full course, excel, and python data science. Explore answers to essential questions like what is a data science, data science is, what does data science do, and what a data scientist do. Discover the differences between data science vs data analytics and data analytics vs data science or even data science vs data analyst. Hear inspiring data analyst success stories and strategies for job search 2024, including job vacancy 2024, how to search job, and job search strategies. Gain perspectives from industry leaders on meta data science, machine learning engineer podcast, senior data scientist, and data science manager roles. We explore career paths, including thriving at FAANG and tech jobs. This podcast also features actionable advice on data structure, support to data engineer, and creating compelling data visualizations podcast content. Plus, discover how to navigate how to become a data science or how to become a data scientist. Perfect for students, professionals, and anyone passionate about shaping the future of data.

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