By Maryam S.
Sometimes I see a new product and think that it’s something I never knew that I needed. Sometimes I see ads on my screen that seem to have come straight from my search history. Sometimes I think technology reads my mind. It knows what I want before I even think of it (like my mom, except less demanding, occasionally less terrifying and definitely less affectionate).
The way we interact with technology today is not only remarkably more profound than decades ago, but also remarkably more subtle. People rely on technology to facilitate their daily lives, giving technology an intimate insight into our minds. The role we have given technology is that of a right hand man, a partner—a pillar of support for every individual and our society as a whole. And like every good lieutenant, technology deciphers our signals and tells and ticks to reach conclusions about what the best course of action should be. Or does it?
While technology responds to our wants and needs, it is the data engineers behind the scenes who interpret the “terabytes upon terabytes upon terabytes of data” that we pour into technology—specifically the internet, more specifically Facebook. Data is presented to data engineer in codes and numbers, a language not readily accessible to the layman. By itself, it is like a foreign language to an outsider. It is the role of the data engineer to make the information in the data accessible to those who need it in the form of reports and databases.
Facebook is continuously growing and expanding and shifting, changing its direction with the wind generated by the furious typing of its users. Yasser Ahmed, a data engineer for the company, acts as a liaison between the engineers and the management of his department. He analyzes and interprets data while directing the manner in which the data in analyzed and presented. His job is multi-faceted in that he not only checks the temperature of the team but also the temperature of the public towards a sentiment: Grand Sentiment is a project that Mr. Ahmed particularly enjoys. Grand Sentiment is a project to use data to create products that are very likely to sell based off of extensive and deep data research into what people are saying. He asks himself: what questions are being asked? How deep is he required to go to find the answer? What perspective is he trying to establish? Then using easily accessible programs like SQL (pronounced Sequel), he forms data reports and databases of information that can be used by data scientists and the companies to make smart decisions and predictions.
When he was working towards his Master’s degree, Mr. Ahmed noticed a change in the air. More technology-driven companies were gaining momentum. “Companies based on seniority needed data to back up decisions” and because the field of data gathering was still a fledgling, data analysis was a “hot job.” So hot that he was picked up by EMC quickly after he got his Master’s (all previous education was related to the field; higher education is necessary to have doors opened for you like royalty). Not only was his future career choice easily marketable, but also his interest was piqued by the way mathematical formulas and correlations were used to make decisions. He described to me the process of AB testing where clone consumers would provide hypothetical decisions that the original consumer would make based off of the data harvested from the internet.
Today, his hours are long and fulfilling. Compared to the traditional work model of 8-hour workdays, Facebook’s hours encourages more time to be used for productive work. The environment is simultaneously competitive and supportive; because everyone around him is doing more work, he is encourage to do better and contribute more than his peers. Upward career movement in Facebook is determined by the substantial contributions an employee makes to the company. At his current level, Mr. Ahmed is responsible for a product. The next level would be to contribute to the company every six months, and the level above that, to change the company significantly and keep changing it. In addition to a competitive and energizing work environment, Facebook also encourages Mr. Ahmed to stay on top of the technology. Every two years, he finds himself using technology that he did not use two years ago. The “fast half-life of tech in the industry” requires that he stay on top in order to stay in prime condition and also means that his main source of information is technology conferences where people gather and discuss the problems they faced with new technology.
“Data wins arguments. Data-driven arguments are going to succeed over not data-driven arguments,” states Mr. Ahmed. The field of data gathering is rapidly evolving to influence all aspects of business, and therefore, many aspects of our lives. What we see, read, hear and buy are most likely supported by the data we put out there. The information we take in may reflect the information we put out. Data is like a sword that can be wielded in whatever style the wielder employs. A sword is just metal; likewise, data is just numbers and the impact is made by those who know how to use it. Companies use data to work out what products would appeal to the public, what are their business margins and production costs, and how to manage themselves financially. So when it seems like my phone is reading my mind, it’s actually a data engineer analyzing my information.
As a side note, Mr. Ahmed pointed out something to me that I hadn’t considered: “everyone has to go through this moment where they realize they’re working to make their own jobs obsolete.” By improving technology, soon the human factor won’t be needed; machines will be able to read and analyze and produce relevant reports and databases and decisions by themselves.
© 2016 Maryam S. All rights reserved.
Sometimes I see a new product and think that it’s something I never knew that I needed. Sometimes I see ads on my screen that seem to have come straight from my search history. Sometimes I think technology reads my mind. It knows what I want before I even think of it (like my mom, except less demanding, occasionally less terrifying and definitely less affectionate).
The way we interact with technology today is not only remarkably more profound than decades ago, but also remarkably more subtle. People rely on technology to facilitate their daily lives, giving technology an intimate insight into our minds. The role we have given technology is that of a right hand man, a partner—a pillar of support for every individual and our society as a whole. And like every good lieutenant, technology deciphers our signals and tells and ticks to reach conclusions about what the best course of action should be. Or does it?
While technology responds to our wants and needs, it is the data engineers behind the scenes who interpret the “terabytes upon terabytes upon terabytes of data” that we pour into technology—specifically the internet, more specifically Facebook. Data is presented to data engineer in codes and numbers, a language not readily accessible to the layman. By itself, it is like a foreign language to an outsider. It is the role of the data engineer to make the information in the data accessible to those who need it in the form of reports and databases.
Facebook is continuously growing and expanding and shifting, changing its direction with the wind generated by the furious typing of its users. Yasser Ahmed, a data engineer for the company, acts as a liaison between the engineers and the management of his department. He analyzes and interprets data while directing the manner in which the data in analyzed and presented. His job is multi-faceted in that he not only checks the temperature of the team but also the temperature of the public towards a sentiment: Grand Sentiment is a project that Mr. Ahmed particularly enjoys. Grand Sentiment is a project to use data to create products that are very likely to sell based off of extensive and deep data research into what people are saying. He asks himself: what questions are being asked? How deep is he required to go to find the answer? What perspective is he trying to establish? Then using easily accessible programs like SQL (pronounced Sequel), he forms data reports and databases of information that can be used by data scientists and the companies to make smart decisions and predictions.
When he was working towards his Master’s degree, Mr. Ahmed noticed a change in the air. More technology-driven companies were gaining momentum. “Companies based on seniority needed data to back up decisions” and because the field of data gathering was still a fledgling, data analysis was a “hot job.” So hot that he was picked up by EMC quickly after he got his Master’s (all previous education was related to the field; higher education is necessary to have doors opened for you like royalty). Not only was his future career choice easily marketable, but also his interest was piqued by the way mathematical formulas and correlations were used to make decisions. He described to me the process of AB testing where clone consumers would provide hypothetical decisions that the original consumer would make based off of the data harvested from the internet.
Today, his hours are long and fulfilling. Compared to the traditional work model of 8-hour workdays, Facebook’s hours encourages more time to be used for productive work. The environment is simultaneously competitive and supportive; because everyone around him is doing more work, he is encourage to do better and contribute more than his peers. Upward career movement in Facebook is determined by the substantial contributions an employee makes to the company. At his current level, Mr. Ahmed is responsible for a product. The next level would be to contribute to the company every six months, and the level above that, to change the company significantly and keep changing it. In addition to a competitive and energizing work environment, Facebook also encourages Mr. Ahmed to stay on top of the technology. Every two years, he finds himself using technology that he did not use two years ago. The “fast half-life of tech in the industry” requires that he stay on top in order to stay in prime condition and also means that his main source of information is technology conferences where people gather and discuss the problems they faced with new technology.
“Data wins arguments. Data-driven arguments are going to succeed over not data-driven arguments,” states Mr. Ahmed. The field of data gathering is rapidly evolving to influence all aspects of business, and therefore, many aspects of our lives. What we see, read, hear and buy are most likely supported by the data we put out there. The information we take in may reflect the information we put out. Data is like a sword that can be wielded in whatever style the wielder employs. A sword is just metal; likewise, data is just numbers and the impact is made by those who know how to use it. Companies use data to work out what products would appeal to the public, what are their business margins and production costs, and how to manage themselves financially. So when it seems like my phone is reading my mind, it’s actually a data engineer analyzing my information.
As a side note, Mr. Ahmed pointed out something to me that I hadn’t considered: “everyone has to go through this moment where they realize they’re working to make their own jobs obsolete.” By improving technology, soon the human factor won’t be needed; machines will be able to read and analyze and produce relevant reports and databases and decisions by themselves.
© 2016 Maryam S. All rights reserved.