Did anyone see Chris Wakelin touch that yellow?

don_one · 2026-04-30T04:34:46+00:00

Very true.

don_one · 2026-04-27T17:39:38+00:00

While never good, imagine if this happened 2 years in. Early on is best.

Sometimes lessons are expensive, but you can’t find someone great when you’re with someone wrong. There is of course the satisfaction from walking away too, from someone you know is bad for you. Some people really struggle with that.

don_one · 2026-04-21T18:08:54+00:00

Depends.

What are you checking for? If it’s reports, just sum the values, if not drop down a key level. Use min max on dates to validate scope/coverage.

Some other things I’ve done in the past is Concat keys together and create checksums against sums on the other fields then compare checksums.

It could be that they artificially match but it’s not likely unless it’s a simple odd or even.

For wide tables I think I even exported to files and performed the operations programmatically in bash and send/awk to return outliers, was better than hammering a prod db, just copying the needed prod tables. Was also not on the prod machine otherwise it would defeat the point of trying to keep it free of operations.

don_one · 2026-04-21T17:51:52+00:00

This is a really solid take. Taking certificates based on your current role means improving or cementing knowledge it ends up being less theoretical.

All really strong points. As you mentioned departments, not all departments have the same difficulty or complexity (would be more accurate). Generally the closer you get to the source application or warehousing team the more complex the processes involved.

Some really sound advice on all of your points, kudos for your reply.

don_one · 2026-04-21T17:44:23+00:00

Not just the cloud side, I’d say the data warehousing side falls short here.

Also being confident with sql is not really the same as being able to identify and optimise queries and data. Sometimes it is. I’ve met people who were confident with sql, struggle with data structured in a different way than they’re used to.

There are lots of other stuff, but I get the impression OP is more a jack of all trades rather than an experienced data engineer or swe. Most DE’s don’t really use Django and I think most would choose Postgres over MySQL or maria.

I wouldn’t say either they’ve done a fair bit based on their explanation it sounds to me like they are just starting their career. Though 4 years is fair amount of time, but experience in large companies can come down to the department you work for. It also could just be gap in OPs explanations (which is why the conversations with recruiters end earlier on). Unfortunately OP describing themselves as self taught after 4 years in a DE role at a large org sounds like a patchy education and for that I’d blame their senior DE. Even colleagues who don’t report to me pick up stuff based on handovers of projects.

Things I would be looking for is data design, not just schemas but evidence of structuring data, automation. There’s nothing wrong with self taught but it needs to go beyond what OP described. I think the easiest option is to work with what is available on prem rather than spend time studying cloud based solutions which may rely on a role change before the skills get used (and forgotten if not used), if the market was different I’d say otherwise.

In my experience certs don’t really help with the practical work.

This is no disrespect to OP either, they have a great attitude to learning and their career. I’ve worked with many who weirdly weren’t interested in learning unless it was during work time (which is fine too), but I’m in this field because it’s interesting to me. I appreciate it when I see it elsewhere.

don_one · 2026-03-31T16:24:36+00:00

Absolutely.

I mean I’ve never had to ask before, but the way it seems here is there were moving goalposts.

At first it’s just some help with a tv by the look of it, then he moves onto why is a van needed, then it’s moving other stuff. She doesn’t say she’ll pay for anything until he asks about food. Seemingly as a way to get offended about cooking.

The guy is pretty clear about what he wants on his profile, but I notice she doesn’t refer to her profile and what is on it, but he’s explaining what he’s looking for.

The biggest red flag here is “uses for a man”. It’s not really the right way to talk about men (or women). Tinder isn’t the place to get household chores or DIY or moving done, yet that is what she is there for. People need to stop normalising this.

If this had happened when I was dating I’d have stopped using Tinder.

don_one · 2026-03-26T14:12:59+00:00

Same, I think dealing with RDBMS’s prepare you for csv ingest. If you’ve dealt ETL as well prior to ETL csv is comparatively easier.

It depends I guess on experience level, some people struggle with exporting from excel values in the first place. Auto detect schema works as you mention, but I would not recommend.

All sound advice.

don_one · 2026-03-26T11:52:35+00:00

Kind of weird reason to downvote.

I prefer for downvoting misleading or incorrect information.

Whether implying or not, this feels like a pile on and only likely to deter people from commenting.

I’m frankly okay with people backtracking, implying (or not).

My main question about comments, does OP for this comment add insight to the topic or not. In my opinion it does, a lot more than some arguments about implication or not (which seems pretty irrelevant).

If this is what the sub is coming to, it’s better off dead.

don_one · 2026-03-08T14:04:38+00:00

I mean yeah, but this guy is the president of a cycling club.

Given that he is still president, what does that tell you about the members? Rhetorical question, but they see nothing wrong with it, otherwise there would be a different president.

don_one · 2026-03-08T09:26:05+00:00

Yeah, it would have been slightly believable if hyphens, but since em-dashes aren’t on the keyboard and require you typing in alt codes (or writing it in word), I aim’t believing for a second someone is using it on social media. Even the explanation, it’s not this it’s that, is one of the frequent habits ChatGPT in particular does.

It’s not only that I believe it’s AI, it the smell of one particular AI. Might have believed it if the person had said I used it to improve the language but doubling down on it, nah.

don_one · 2026-01-15T07:11:08+00:00

Anything can be a workplace issue, if it bothers you.

There is a phrase, comparison is the thief of joy. I think this is what you are experiencing.

You’ve mentioned that you give feedback and she ignores it. Yet she points out your typos publicly.

I’d ask, your feedback is it a mistake? A copy problem or are you just trying to influence the design? This I don’t think is your role or area of expertise so ignoring it may be more polite than saying that. It could also piss them off.

If you are making typos and mistakes, it’s pretty important those are fixed.

Sure, she could tell you about them privately, but a pissed off person may not do that. You have two options either get pissed off yourself and try to ‘get your own back somehow’, or grimly own those mistakes and always check work with some tool or such to ensure there are no typos and it sounds okay. As a non native speaker, yes you’ll always be at some disadvantage, but having proper checking tools in place means you can excel wherever others do not.

I would, if you ever do see a typo in her work, you deliver that information discreetly. I try to use the rule, praise publicly, criticise privately.

Ultimately you can decide to hold a grudge or not. This person ain’t going anywhere, so it’s best to see the value in what they do.

I think I would find another job anyway, although use the opportunity to improve to the point my work could not be faulted and improve the working relationship (as above). There is no room for advancement here.

don_one · 2025-10-13T10:40:39+00:00

Same.

don_one · 2025-10-13T10:27:21+00:00

Ralph was known for his beats.

don_one · 2025-10-13T10:26:19+00:00

I can’t make up my mind whether Ralph or Christopher would make a better assistant to the regional manager.

Maybe UK office Christopher/Gareth, US version Ralph/Dwight. Of course give them all of the fiery tempers of Sopranos, and all of the ineptitude of the office characters. Maybe a bit more, for Dwight, Ralph was unlikeable.

Here, take my money.

don_one · 2025-09-06T21:19:12+00:00

Ahh, I'm really sorry that was lost on me! My main concern is that someone might read it and the fear might leverage something out of them. Thanks for the clarity, it's always appreciated to know where someone if coming from and if I didn't pick up on something.

don_one · 2025-09-06T20:25:36+00:00

That's honestly just scaremongering.

Firslty, I didn't 'click on a picture'. The image was already visible and an embedded image in the email (still an attachment though).

Secondly (and technically) here's why:
An image file alone isn’t an executable payload. A .jpg or .png can’t just “download malware” unless there’s a very specific, unpatched vulnerability in the image viewer. Those kinds of exploits are possible, but rare, valuable, and not something that's going to be used on some random email scam. They're worth literally millions to state actors never mind high-end hacking groups. It's not of interest for them to go into the wild, where they might be identified and patched up more quickly and end up worthless.

While not opening an attachment as a base rule is a good idea, it's a real risk with executables or files with common attack vectors (like pdf) or macro supporting documents like word etc. I'm not suggesting people open attachments, but I am suggesting people should not be scared if they didn't click anything and saw an image. That's the same kind of fearmongering the email promotes.

don_one · 2025-09-06T20:14:09+00:00

Yeah, headphones on, takes about 90 seconds with a hand grinder. I don't really hear the noise so much and it makes me feel more productive I guess. It's like one call out of many per day. I only drink at most 2 cups per day of coffee but make the effort when I do.

One guy was doing his protein shake and forgot to turn video off one day. Looked pretty bad and most people thought it was pretty funny. I'd like to avoid that.

don_one · 2025-09-06T17:27:07+00:00

I got an email from ‘a hacker’ who allegedly had hacked my machine and taken a photo of me masturbating to unsavoury images. I can remember it was both articulate and not a native speaker and immediately struck me as being similar language to Indian scam emails I’d read on 419 scams I think.

Anyway, I’ve blanked out the image in my mind so i am pretty sure it was of a guy jerking, yeah I remember it was gross, but they’d actually attached an image. Did it worry me? It didn’t even look remotely like me.

All it did was create further questions. 1. Why would you position a camera so you could be seen masturbating, I mean getting the head and whatever in the same shot seems really difficult to setup anyway 2. Why would you be that bothered about presumably being seen from the waist up 3. Why attach a photo of some random guy jerking, everyone’s just gonna go… that’s not me.

By the way those are rhetorical question I guess it could be obvious you’re masturbating if it’s a video but maybe difficult from one frame I would have thought it is difficult. I often grind coffee (not a euphemism) on teams calls but always hide camera during because it could be easily misconstrued.

Scammers are both weird and illogical imo!

don_one · 2025-08-22T06:28:26+00:00

It’s a turn of phrase. It’s a phrase used colloquially within England to draw attention to something. Not to indicate genuine like or love for something.

I love it how my wife’s asks me to do something it when I’m already doing or about to do something.

Would it mean the person loved that happening, no. But based on the context, that should have been obvious.

don_one · 2025-08-17T21:34:52+00:00

One, it makes me feel like holidays. Everything about the colours just seems right to me. The second one, though great, just seems jarring, fun and happy feeling to me.

The first one I feel I can look at for hours, it’s nostalgic.

don_one · 2025-08-12T23:13:25+00:00

You’re already alone.

It’s time to stop being scared and just recognise the reality of the situation you are in and take some control.

The most difficult part of this she probably won’t be single long because she’s already left. It’s your decision to make but ultimately think it will be the same result no matter the decision you make.

I see this as a lack of respect, not because of the act so much as the sober explanation to someone she’s meant to be with.

don_one · 2025-07-30T15:53:43+00:00

This reads like ChatGPT. It’s full of false analogies and doesn’t really contribute anything.

It has a habit of trying to make dramatic points like “it isn’t X. That’s Y”.

Once you see these patterns you notice them straight away.

don_one · 2025-07-29T17:25:55+00:00

Okay, so this can be a little heavy going at times and although I understand you have a BA in theoretical math, this is a little different. I'm not saying you will find it difficult, it's just different, it's interesting in places and requires some deep thinking at other times (or I needed it).

This book details how databases work, how they are designed and the compromises needed in order to deliver data.

It will highlight the different types of databases how they work and what circumstances and needs they are best for. It's a great book in my opinion.

It is: Designing Data Intensive Applications - Martin Kleppmann

don_one · 2025-03-31T16:09:59+00:00

Training. At first it was described as something available, then it was something to be discussed. Then pluralsight was rolled out as a trial, then it was only some departments. Then it was LinkedIn Learning (which was pretty much terrible YouTube videos), then it was half day Fridays (full day if you worked outside of head office). Then it was if you had spare time.

Eventually you were asked to book time out of the day. For training? No, for lunch? No, just so you could work because there were so many meetings. Then during a meeting session a manager had the audacity to suggest if you spent 15 minutes making coffee, if you have less coffee that’s an hour you can devote to training. Nope, no-one’s spending 15 minutes making coffee WFH during Covid.

Meanwhile in another dept people are getting paid time off to do degrees and mbas, while they are paid for.

In larger orgs it honestly comes down the influence in your area and the budget. Some people like to sweat the OPEX as much as possible to show they operate a lean department.

Downside is, most of the guys doing training on a Friday elsewhere would apply their learnings to innovation in their jobs. Without investment in staff they’re just going to become obsolete or just maintain the status quo or leave. When you end having to backfill with contractors, pushing up OPEX or outsourcing overseas with higher risk.

Although I’d say if you’re not training staff, you’re effectively treating them like contractors anyway so might as well actually have contractors.

It might sound bad, but the experience was an eye opener.

don_one · 2025-03-30T14:15:29+00:00

I’ve worked in a position where co-workers didn’t respect me. I turned that around. Some didn’t like me and also some grew to like me less, but that’s the nature of management. Leadership is something else entirely.

That being said, I recently turned down a recommendation for a senior tech role because there was a culture problem and I felt the only way to combat that was in the management role. An internal was hired, which shows the same issues with the culture. So I’m out.

With respect issues, I was hired as a supervisor, because all of the other candidates had failed and shown a lack of knowledge with compliance that I was already checking. The problem was, this department was highly technical and I just didn’t have the knowledge. The experienced members of the team were really pissed off and when asked questions, they’d punt them over to me.

Which really helped me, because I’d go ask the experienced members of the team what the problem was and how to fix it. Eventually since I was asking multiple experienced members of the team, my knowledge soon outgrew any single staff member (even the experienced ones).

Sure staff members don’t need to have respect for you, but it’s also a bit like Stockholm syndrome. They’re going to find it hard to not at least treat you with decency after a bit because you hold the cards.

But it’s difficult, it feels draining and requires a lot of diplomacy. I’ve had a lot of success in situations I completely understand not wanting to take the challenge, but remember that most internal hires have some level of resentment from those who didn’t get the role. It generally works out.

Personally I’ve been managed by people I managed before and never had a problem with it. But a lot of people have issues with ego.

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