Day in the Life: Q&A with Data Engineer II Ryan Aguilar

How would you describe your role on the Data Engineering team?  

I think my position on the Data Engineering team can be categorized into a couple of different roles. On the technical side, our responsibility is to ensure that data gets from one place to another, while often changing its shape along the way. We need to make sure that the data is safe, correct, and timely. Our other function is to communicate these processes effectively to stakeholders. Whether it’s answering a partner’s question or working with another team at EA, we must be able to explain what’s happening to both technical and non-technical people, alike. 

What interested you in working at EA? 

The two things that were most appealing to me about the prospect of working at EA were that I would still be connected to the K-12 education system, and that I would get to build things. I was writing code at my previous position, but it was not really part of my job description. Now I get to do that full time to support educational institutions. It’s also a benefit to work with modern technology and software, which is not always the case when working in the ed tech space. 

We know that every day is different, but what would a typical day at EA look like for you? 

Every day is different, which is one of the things I like most about my job. Some days are meeting heavy, but fortunately most are not. Even when I’m not in meetings, I spend a good amount of time communicating with either a partner or another team member at EA. If the partner has a question or concern, that is what I’m working on that day. A lot of my time consists of reading, writing, and testing code. I also spend a good amount of time reading and writing documentation, although I should probably do even more of the latter. 

What skills do you possess that you find helpful in your role? 

Being a pessimist, while not much appreciated outside of work, can be extremely useful in this role. By that, I mean thinking about edge cases, failure modes, and worst-case scenarios. To frame it more positively, I would say that I try to think of outcomes in terms of probabilities and trade-offs, rather than correct or incorrect. 

What is the most rewarding aspect of your role? 

At a high-level view, knowing that we are helping teachers and students is rewarding. I understand that I’m far removed from the work being done in the classroom, but I like to think I’m making a meaningful contribution. From a day-to-day perspective, I enjoy helping people. I like problem solving in general, and if it helps make someone’s day better, then it’s especially satisfying to me.

What is your favorite project that you’ve worked on at EA? 

The CORE project gets a nod from me for a couple of reasons:  

1. If it weren't for CORE, I probably wouldn’t be at EA. I worked with CORE briefly while at my last job, so I knew that Education Analytics was a company, even if I didn’t know exactly what EA did. Becoming more familiar with the organization led me to visit educationanalytics.org to see if they had a Data Engineering department, and that’s when I found a job posting for a Data Engineering position. 
2. We’ve learned a lot about what does and doesn’t work since the CORE warehouse was built. The work on the project made me appreciate how streamlined many of EA’s processes have become. It also helped me to understand the intention behind why we build things the way we do today. 

If you had to choose a different team to work on at EA, which team would you pick and why? 

If I had to choose a different team, I’d probably choose the Analyst team. I liked statistics in school, so that might be helpful. Also, the Data Engineering team already works closely with the analysts, so I like to think that would help ease the transition. 

What changes do you anticipate in your field in the next year? 

It’s probably safe to say that we’ll continue to see an increase in AI use, both in our products and in our tooling. I also think it’s useful to think of AI as one of many tools at our disposal, and it will be more important than ever to stick to good engineering practices. Data engineering has always been a fast-moving field, so I think we’ll be well positioned to adapt to any major shifts.  

What is something you enjoy in your free time?  

For the past five years, I’ve spent all my free time creating a daily word puzzle called Textagons, and I finally got it released in the App Store (there’s also a web version if you’re on Android)!  With my newly freed-up time, I’m learning to play guitar, but my progress is even slower on this front, if you can believe it.

When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?  

When I was a little kid, I wanted to illustrate comic books and when I was a slightly older kid, I thought that I would be a writer. My two favorite hobbies were drawing and reading, so I guess that makes sense. 

What is something that you would tell your younger self about your career? 

I’d tell myself what a long, strange trip it’s been to get to the position I’m in now. I don’t think my younger self would be surprised that I’m working in tech, but my career has taken many twists and turns. The lesson being to  look for opportunities in unexpected places and take chances, especially when you’re just starting out. I would also tell my younger self that I enjoy the people I work with and that the work I do is fulfilling, which is a lot more than most people can say.