When I landed my first job in Data, I didn’t actively choose the type of team or their technical expertise. I was already an internal employee, and

What kind of Data Team should I join?

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2025-01-05 23:30:02

When I landed my first job in Data, I didn’t actively choose the type of team or their technical expertise. I was already an internal employee, and I simply trusted the people around me while having the confidence that I could succeed. I’ve written about this experience in a previous blog post.

Now, after years in the industry and having held a variety of roles, I can say that there are distinct options available, each with its own pros and cons. While I encourage people to experiment with different roles and environments, I also recognize that not every role suits every individual. Before landing your first job—or taking the leap into a new role—it’s essential to understand your options and determine what fits you best.

From my perspective, the three primary paths for a data professional are consulting, internal teams, and product. Each comes with unique characteristics, but I’ll compare them here using five specific dimensions: technical expertise, ownership, communication, speed, and metrics of success. These dimensions provide a clear framework to evaluate which path aligns with your strengths, preferences, and career goals.

In internal teams, the technical landscape is relatively stable. The team typically uses a fixed set of tools, and there’s usually deep expertise within the organization around those tools. The primary focus is on creating value for other teams within the company, with an emphasis on maintaining existing solutions and scaling them when necessary. The work often revolves around stability, optimization, and gradual improvement.