How to build a career moat in the data field
Here’s a timeless lesson from the Middle Ages.
When the most powerful people built their fortresses and castles they had to make sure they were well protected from enemy attacks.
So how did they do this?
They built moats.
Moats are bodies of water that surround castles to…
Prevent enemies from reaching the castle by land
Prevent enemies from reaching the castle by digging under the castle walls
Prevent the castle from being destroyed by fire
Simply put, moats provide protection.
Similarly you need a career moat if you want to protect your value in the job marketplace.
So what is a career moat? What does it look like?
Cedric Chin gives this definition:
It looks like this: you aren't that worried about finding work. You know that if you are ever laid off, you can easily find another job, because you possess ‘career capital’ — that is, skills that are relatively rare, and are in sufficient demand to guarantee a base level of compensation to support you and yours.
Sounds good right?
Great, so how do you build one?
I see data careers as made up of roughly four stages:
Stage 1: Dashboard monkey
Stage 2: English to SQL translator
Stage 3: Fortune teller
Stage 4: Trusted advisor
These stages are not necessarily in order; you can skip around like in a jungle gym.
The best way to build a career moat in the data space is to become a trusted advisor.
Trusted advisors are relied on constantly in a business. They use their knowledge of how things work to influence decisions that are made. They have tremendous career capital, in the form of rare and valuable skills, that provide them with endless job options and lucrative compensation.
Being a trusted advisor can come in different forms, but there are two things you need to have.
Technical Skills
Technical skills are the same as digging a moat. They take a long time and a lot of effort to build, but the results are undeniable. Some popular technical skills in data include data modeling, data science, and data visualization, among others.
Want some suggestions?
Start with SQL
Learn enough statistics to be dangerous
Learn storytelling with data
Business Acumen
Business Acumen is the same as filling a moat with water. That knowledge makes your moat almost impossible to destroy.
The great thing about business acumen is that you need to have a job to develop it. Just like in the middle ages, the people who are in positions of power are the ones who keep their power. The closer you are to company leadership, the more exposure you’ll have to how decisions are made, and the more acumen you’ll gain.
Take moats seriously
Some people make the mistake of going too deep on technical skills. They’re easy to learn and relatively easy to showcase. But they’re not enough to build a real moat.
The data analytics industry is expected to have strong job growth between now and 2030. That’s great, but you can’t get comfortable. Threats like automation, artificial intelligence, and remote work are all competition that can prevent you from advancing your data career. You need a moat to protect from these threats.
If you build a moat with technical skills and business acumen, you’ll guarantee yourself a great career in data.
I will write more about data career moats, including specific advice, tips and ideas that have helped me have a successful career in the data field so be sure to subscribe.
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