DBTB INT Josh Wills r

my name is Josh wills I work at slack my name is Josh wills I work at slack and my title is director of data and my title is director of data engineering oh I think like just the engineering oh I think like just the sheer diversity of topics and stuff like sheer diversity of topics and stuff like that they get covered at this conference that they get covered at this conference over several days is the most exciting over several days is the most exciting part for me I just love being able to be part for me I just love being able to be a fly on the wall and hear about stuff I a fly on the wall and hear about stuff I know very very little about from people know very very little about from people who know tons and tons and tons about it who know tons and tons and tons about it so yeah that's it's like a the mega so yeah that's it's like a the mega conference aspect is my favorite part conference aspect is my favorite part yeah ah because of money primarily like yeah ah because of money primarily like I think between Google and Facebook and I think between Google and Facebook and other folks having built like defensible other folks having built like defensible insanely valuable businesses that are insanely valuable businesses that are fundamentally based on having access to fundamentally based on having access to data very cool interesting data that data very cool interesting data that other people don't have access to like other people don't have access to like like most sort of cool things in the like most sort of cool things in the world that kind of fundamentally comes world that kind of fundamentally comes down to money and that's true for data down to money and that's true for data as well I want to learn i think that data I want to learn i think that data engineering and data infrastructure is engineering and data infrastructure is horrible and then it's horrible for horrible and then it's horrible for everyone they aren't alone in sort of everyone they aren't alone in sort of their horror it's just it's hard it's their horror it's just it's hard it's hard and it's terrible for everyone but hard and it's terrible for everyone but it doesn't mean it's not worth doing and it doesn't mean it's not worth doing and doing the best of your ability within doing the best of your ability within the constraints of the aforementioned the constraints of the aforementioned horribleness so yeah ooh key vice on how to become a data ooh key vice on how to become a data scientist time to become a really great scientist time to become a really great one I think the lake the I think being a one I think the lake the I think being a great generalist is a great way to be a great generalist is a great way to be a great data scientist I don't I've done great data scientist I don't I've done like the highest level machine learning like the highest level machine learning models and I've done like the lowest models and I've done like the lowest level sort of DevOps stuff in my career level sort of DevOps stuff in my career like even down to like debugging like even down to like debugging hardware in some situations yeah I don't hardware in some situations yeah I don't I don't think there's like it's one is I don't think there's like it's one is like weird sort of Zen koan kind of like weird sort of Zen koan kind of things like you can't become a data things like you can't become a data scientist by be trying to become a data scientist by be trying to become a data scientist you have to get good at a lot scientist you have to get good at a lot of different things and then basically of different things and then basically sort of insert yourself into a position sort of insert yourself into a position where you can do data science like where you can do data science like there's this great quote by a there's this great quote by a mathematician mathematics is what mathematician mathematics is what mathematicians do data science is what mathematicians do data science is what data signs do it's that's I don't know data signs do it's that's I don't know or it's stupid is as stupid does would or it's stupid is as stupid does would be the sort of modern-day equivalent of be the sort of modern-day equivalent of that I think so i think i don't know i that I think so i think i don't know i think there's too much effort on he like think there's too much effort on he like people trying to become data signed as people trying to become data signed as opposed to just try and become lots good opposed to just try and become lots good at lots and lots of different things at lots and lots of different things that if you can do all those things that if you can do all those things software engineering ops statistics data software engineering ops statistics data analysis stuff means that you can become analysis stuff means that you can become a data scientist so yeah anyway sorry a data scientist so yeah anyway sorry that's in terms of being a great one i that's in terms of being a great one i think if you employ that sort of breath think if you employ that sort of breath strategy i think that is the way to strategy i think that is the way to become a great data scientist is have become a great data scientist is have the breath be able to see the patterns the breath be able to see the patterns be able to understand how things be able to understand how things interact the different layers of the interact the different layers of the stack that is to me that is the path to stack that is to me that is the path to greatness greatness you