In this episode, Bolaji interviews Jessica Franks, a data engineering manager at Not On The High Street, who shares her unique journey from telecom engineering to data leadership. Jessica discusses her transition to the UK, the challenges of managing a data team, and the importance of communication and mentorship in the data field. Jessica also explains the significance of data strategy, the use of Wardley mapping, and how she measures the impact of her work. Jessica emphasizes the need for continuous learning and adapting in the evolving data landscape, and her aspirations for the future in data leadership.    Speakers: Guest: Jessica Franks is the Data Engineering Manager at Not On the High Street, an eCommerce company based in the United Kingdom Host: Bolaji Oyejide is the community manager at dbt Labs, and host of Data Career Transformations.   Takeaways: Jessica's journey from telecom to data leadership is unique and inspiring. Taking time off to study data science can lead to career transformation. Communication skills are crucial for data professionals. Wardley mapping is a valuable tool for visualizing data strategy. The modern data stack includes tools like Snowflake and dbt. Measuring impact in data work can be challenging but rewarding. Mentorship and community support are vital in the data field. Learning to say no is important for managing workload. Data maturity assessments can guide strategic decisions. Continuous learning is essential in the evolving data landscape. Chapters: 00:00: Introduction to Jessica's Journey 02:33: From Telecom to Data Leadership 05:11: The Transition to Data Science 08:02: Navigating Career Changes 10:41: First Day at Not On The High Street 13:20: Building a Data Team 16:04: Creating a Data Strategy 18:40: The Importance of Communication in Data 21:20: Implementing Wardley Mapping 24:01: Modern Data Stack at Not On The High Street 25:49: The Value of dbt in Data Engineering 28:42: Change Management in Data Teams 32:00: Understanding Data Maturity 34:37: The Importance of Community and Mentorship 36:32: Asking Questions and Overcoming Hesitation 38:19: Handling Stress and Conflicting Priorities 40:58: Learning to Say No 42:51: Balancing Maintenance and Innovation 45:24: Measuring Impact in Data Roles 47:54: Future Aspirations in Data Leadership   —  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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