Challenges and Learnings of a Junior Data Engineer: A Real Journey

Last modified: 2025-04-19

Hey everyone! Today I want to share something really honest about my life as a junior data engineer. You know that idea that everything is perfect in the first years of your career? Well, the reality is quite different.

The Challenges No One Talks About

When I started, I thought I would just arrive and "boom" - perfect codes, incredible projects. In reality? It was more like "oops, I broke everything" several times.

My biggest challenges have been:

Impostor Syndrome: That feeling that I'm not good enough. Every time I see a complex code, I think: "Can I really do this?"
Pressure for Results: In the corporate world, you can't always learn at the ideal pace. Sometimes I have to deliver something I barely know how to do.
Work x Learning Balance: How do you keep studying after a full day of coding? It's not easy!

Learnings That Are Worth Gold

But it's not all problems. I've learned incredible things:

You don't have to know everything to start, mistakes will happen
ASK FOR HELP! Seriously, it's not a sign of weakness
Each line of code is a learning opportunity
Debugging is the best professor you'll ever have

Tips for Those Starting Out

I want to share some advice I would have loved to hear at the beginning:

Find a mentor or network
Do personal projects
Don't compare yourself to others
Invest in your constant development

The Reality Behind the Screens

You know that image of the tech professional looking all stylish? My reality has a lot more coffee, debugging, and moments of "where's my error?!" 😅

I could say something like "MY JOB IS AWESOME, LOVE IT FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART" but would be a lie. There's days that I want to quit and go farming, and that's okay. The important thing is to keep going.

Conclusion: A Continuous Journey

Being a junior data engineer is like riding a bike for the first time: sometimes you fall, but you keep pedaling. And each fall teaches you something new.