Data With Direction

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From Neuroscience to Startups: A Data Pro’s Journey | Kyle Stratis Interview

Join host Chris as he interviews Kyle Stratus, founder of Stratus Data Labs and O’Reilly author, about his unique journey from neuroscience PhD to startup founder and data innovator. Discover how Kyle transitioned into tech, built a viral meme stock market, and what he learned from startup successes and failures—including a legendary cease and desist from NASDAQ! Perfect for aspiring data scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs.

⏰ Timestamps
00:00 – Introduction: Meet Kyle Stratus, Data Innovator & Author
00:33 – From Neurosc...

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Negotiate Like a Pro or Stay Underpaid in 2025

Unlock the secrets to salary negotiation as a data engineer in 2025! In this video, you'll learn exactly what to say, when to say it, and how to anchor your value so you never leave money on the table again. Whether you're entry-level or a seasoned pro, these strategies will help you maximize your compensation, avoid common mistakes, and confidently navigate every stage of the offer process.

Timestamps / Chapters:
00:00 - Why Most Data Engineers Stay Underpaid
00:24 - Understanding 2025 Compensation Bands<...

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What’s it really like building data solutions from the ground up in a startup?
Join Chris Gambill (Founder, Gambill Data) for a candid live conversation with Kyle Stratis, founder of Stratis Data Labs, O’Reilly author, and hands-on data leader in the trenches of startup growth.

Kyle’s not only shaping the future of AI automation with his upcoming book, AI Agents with MCP (O’Reilly), he’s got the scars, wins, and hard-earned wisdom from building data and AI stacks in the chaos of startup life.

In this li...

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Think AI is only for machine learning experts and prompt engineering pros? Think again. In this episode of Data With Direction, Chris Gambill joined by AI Architect Ramona Truta breaks down 10 essential AI skills that you probably already have—and shows you how to level them up to stay relevant in the rapidly shifting world of data and AI.

From writing clear Google searches to debugging messy SQL queries, these everyday skills translate directly into the AI age. If you’re a data engineer, analyst, or tech-curious professional looking to build a fu...

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Are you a data engineer stuck in a mid-level role, wondering why your career isn’t advancing as fast as your skills? In this video, Chris Gambill breaks down the three invisible mistakes that hold back 80% of data engineers from landing senior positions and big salary jumps. Learn how to avoid the technology trap, visibility gap, and impact illusion—and discover actionable strategies to boost your career, increase your salary, and stand out to decision makers.

What you’ll learn:

The 3 biggest career mistakes data engineers make (and how to avo...

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Join Ramona and me on Data With Direction as we discuss architecture patterns that set you on a career trajectory beyond your greatest imagination. 

You want to earn more? Show you have the skills to move the needle! 

I remember a time when I created manual triggers that I had to babysit and watch for an hour, only to walk away at a critical moment. With the tools and knowledge I have today, I do it differently. Want to hear those stories and how Ramona and I tackle them no...

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Are you making these common mistakes in Databricks? In this video, we break down the top 10 pitfalls that data engineers, both new and experienced, fall into when working with Databricks and Spark. From treating Databricks like a simple Jupyter Notebook to neglecting the power of Delta Lake and proper version control, we cover the essential best practices that will elevate your data engineering skills.

If you've ever found yourself debugging a failed production job in the middle of the night or wondering why your queries are crawling at a snail's pace...

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We have Data Analysts out there and Analytics Engineers claiming to be doing ETL in Power BI and Tableau. Find out why it isn't true, and why it will stall your career if you continue to do it! 

Support the show

Chris Gambill is a data engineering consultant and educator with 25+ years of experience helping organizations modernize their data stacks. As founder of Gambill Data, he specializes in data strategy, cloud migration, and building resilient analytics platforms for mid-market and enterprise clients. He’s passionate about making real-world data eng...

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Mid-Career Changes to data with CJ Watkins. 

We will be talking about work/study/home life balance, what it looks like moving from a career in education to a career in data, as well as CJ's unique take on data-guided decisions vs data-driven decisions. 


Links from CJ from our video: 

Measure what Matters: 
https://amzn.to/40pNxLZ

Stats Book
https://learningstatisticswithr.com/book/

CJ's LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/cwatkins128/

CJ's Website for Data Coaching:
http...

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Join us for a special live interview with a Navy Corpsman-turned-software engineer!

We'll dive into his journey from military life to the world of tech. 
We'll explore how his time in the Navy prepared him for a career in software engineering, 
the challenges he faced, 
and the resources that helped him succeed!

Whether you're a veteran looking to enter tech or simply interested in the unique transitions between careers, this conversation will offer invaluable insights. Don't miss it!

In this live session, we sit dow...

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What happens when you mix a love for flying with a knack for data?

In this episode, I’m joined by Ridah, one of my mentees and the founder of Aviadata, a company using analytics to revolutionize how flight schools operate. We’ll dive into Ridah’s learning journey, how he developed his skills in data engineering, and how he’s applying those skills to solve real problems in the aviation industry.

✅ His biggest challenges and breakthroughs
✈️ How flight schools are using analytics to improve training
📊 What it takes to turn...

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Today I'll be jumping on for about 60 minutes to do a short AMA and talk about how to ensure you are securing your secrets in your pipelines

Join Codecademy while supporting the channel! 
If you are a high school or college student you get 35% off with this link:
https://www.pntrs.com/t/2-591852-361892-213588
Not a student, but want a special discount, get 15% off the normal prices with this special link from Gambill Data: https://www.pntrac.com/t/2-523372-361892-213588

Chris Gambill i...

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Are you new to data engineering and worried about common pitfalls derailing your projects? Join me LIVE tonight as we dive into the top 5 rookie mistakes every fresher makes and—more importantly—how you can avoid them!

✅ Learn from real-world examples and save hours of headaches.
✅ Engage in interactive Q&A to solve your specific challenges.
✅ Walk away with immediate, actionable tips to boost your skills.

Bring your questions and your stories—let’s tackle these pitfalls together and set you up for success!

Chris Gambill is a d...

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Tonight I'm going to talk about the last couple videos we did which were the 5 skill every data engineer has to have and then 6 Skills that Separate you from your Competition! 

I'll also discuss data consulting and how I got into it and how you can too! 

As always we will be answering questions about data engineering and cover anything data related on your mind tonight! 


Want to create live streams like this? Check out StreamYard: https://streamyard.com/pal/d/6043226078576640


***Connect with Me...

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Is your team spending time repairing broken data pipelines?

In this live session, I’ll walk you through 5 of the most common—and costly—mistakes I’ve seen in 25+ years of data engineering. From schema drift disasters to overengineered tech stacks, I’ll break down real-world examples and teach you how to build smarter, cleaner, and more reliable data systems.

✅ What you’ll learn:

How to future-proof against schema changes

Why simple tools often outperform complex ones

Where data quality goes to die—and how to fix i...

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Join me live as we dive into “Ethical AI and Data Governance” ... why your data quality isn’t just a technical checkbox but an ethical imperative. We’ll unpack real‐world failures (from biased hiring tools to misconfigured AI inspections), explore the three pillars of governance (Transparency, Accountability, Fairness), and walk through a sample KPI dashboard you can implement today. Tune in for practical tips, interactive Q&A, and ready-to-use strategies to protect your business from costly mistakes and reputational risk.

Missed this week's videos? Check out what has been going on at Gamb...

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Futureproof your career and master the idea of T-Skills! As Data Engineers we have a choice to make right now, given the new AI world:

Go deeper into their Engineering skills and become the 5% who still apply their craft to solve the very complex data use cases.

Go broad and increase their other skills, because (per Shane) 95% of the Data Engineering work will be democratized for the common data use cases.

Plus a few bonus insights, and revisiting old data lore as well.

...

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Data engineering in 2025 isn't about cool tools but about survival, as most current data engineers risk becoming replaceable commodities if they can't demonstrate real-world problem-solving skills and business understanding. Successful data engineers need to prove they've overcome significant challenges and understand the business impact of their work, not just technical implementation.

• Basic skills like Python, cloud certifications and ETL pipeline building are becoming commoditized
• AI and offshore contractors will replace engineers who only move data from point A to B
• Real data engineers can discuss their failures and what they l...

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What is the modern data stack—and how do tools like Spark, dbt, and Airflow actually work together? In this lesson, I’ll break it down step by step with real-world insights.

In Lesson 2 of the Data Engineering 101 series, we take a deep dive into the Modern Data Stack—what it is, how the components work together, and why data modeling is still the backbone of every great pipeline.

💡 You’ll learn how tools like Spark, dbt, Pandas, and Airflow function like machines in a factory—transforming raw logs and cloud-sto...

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Are you thinking about jumping into DataOps Or just curious what all the hype is about

In this episode, Chris dives deep into why DataOps is not all sunshine and rainbows. From the real challenges of the job to the toolbox every DataOps engineer relies on, you’ll get the honest truth... and a few laughs along the way.

Timestamps
00:00 – Why NOT to Be a DataOps Engineer!
01:00 – What is DataOps (Really)
02:00 – The Hard Truths It’s Not All Automation
03:30 – The Tools Behind DataOps
05:00 – Why Some People Lo...

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🚨 Major News in Data Engineering! 🚨

Today, two industry-shaking headlines dropped:
1️⃣ Salesforce announces its $8B acquisition of Informatica.
2️⃣ DuckDB releases DuckLake, their open-source lakehouse format!

Join me LIVE as I break down what these moves mean for data engineers, the enterprise stack, and the future of open-source analytics. Bring your questions and hot takes!

🔗 **News Links:**
- DuckLake Announcement: https://duckdb.org/2025/05/27/ducklake.html
- DuckLake Website: https://ducklake.select/
- Salesforce x Informatica: https://techcrunch.com/2025/05/27/salesforce-acquires-informatica-for-8-billion/

👇 Drop your thoughts in the chat...

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Behind the Scenes: How I Work Full-Time & Still Help Clients

Support the show

Chris Gambill is a data engineering consultant and educator with 25+ years of experience helping organizations modernize their data stacks. As founder of Gambill Data, he specializes in data strategy, cloud migration, and building resilient analytics platforms for mid-market and enterprise clients. He’s passionate about making real-world data engineering accessible.

Connect with Chris on LinkedIn or learn more at gambilldata.com.

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Are hidden problems lurking in your data pipelines?

In both medicine and data engineering, “silent killers” can do major damage... quietly, with no warning, until it’s almost too late. In this live session, Chris Gambill breaks down the three hidden threats every data engineering team needs to catch before disaster strikes.

You’ll learn:

How technical debt is like high blood pressure (and how to lower it before a meltdown)

How invisible data drift is the “carbon monoxide” of analytics

Why organizational issues can q...