In this episode of Data Career Transformations, Bolaji interviews Ash Smith, a seasoned data professional with a diverse background in various industries including education, health, online gaming, and mining. Ash shares his journey into the data field, the evolution of data roles, and the importance of data products. He discusses the challenges faced by data teams, the significance of networking, and how to measure the impact of data work. Ash emphasizes the need for curiosity, collaboration, and effective data storytelling in the data profession, while also providing valuable advice for aspiring data professionals. Speakers: Guest: Ash Smith is the Manager of Data Platform at South32, a Mining company in Perth, Australia Host: Bolaji Oyejide is the community manager at dbt Labs, and host of Data Career Transformations. --- Takeaways: Ash Smith has a diverse background in data across multiple industries. Data products are essential for delivering value to businesses. Networking is crucial for career growth in the data field. Curiosity and asking questions are key traits for data professionals. Data storytelling is a vital skill for communicating insights. The data industry needs a consistent framework for success. Building effective data teams requires collaboration and governance. Measuring the impact of data work can be complex and subjective. Data professionals should focus on foundational skills and continuous learning. Engaging with the community through meetups and conferences is beneficial. Sound Bites: "Data products can change the way we work." "Always be curious and ask questions." "Data storytelling is a crucial skill." Chapters: 00:00: Introduction to Ash Smith and His Journey 04:01: Ash's Current Role in Mining Data 07:27: Career Path and Transition to Data 10:29: Breaking into Online Gaming and Data Roles 12:33: Early Interests in Data and Patterns 16:08: Understanding Data Products 17:45: Evolving Data Practices and Challenges 19:30: Day-to-Day in Data Management 22:03: Navigating Data Disasters 23:45: Handling Stress and Burnout 26:58: The Challenge of Ad Hoc Requests 30:02: Celebrating Project Successes 33:30: Influences and Mentorship in Career 36:52: Building Relationships for Career Growth 39:41: Measuring Impact in Data Work 42:35: Technology's Role in Data Management 44:21: Advice for Aspiring Data Professionals —  About the dbt Community: We've always believed the best way to get better at data is by sharing what you're learning. That's why we built the dbt Community—a place where data pros at every level can ask questions, debate ideas, and push each other forward. It's not just about solving today's problems—it's about building what's next, together. dbt Community - for and by data pros.  Build reliable transformation pipelines. Test & deploy models. Optimize queries. Structure data for self-serve analysis. Come hang out and transform with 70,000 of the brightest Analytics Engineers, Data Engineers, Data Analysts, and Data Scientists in the world Join the dbt Community  

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