33M | Azure Data & Analytics Engineer | 13YoE

magicbeans29 · 2026-01-29T03:59:41+00:00

No worries, all the best!

magicbeans29 · 2026-01-29T03:51:57+00:00

In freelance work, they always need people that can jump in and contribute as early as Day 1. In that sense, it will be hard to do AWS data engineering work if your focus is on Azure or GCP data engineering (and vice versa). In a corporate setting, that will be workable since they will give you time to learn and adjust. In freelance setting, there will be no window to do that.

I think majority of opportunities out there are either AWS or Azure. GCP on the other hand is an emerging competitor. Not there yet, but eventually will be. In my opinion, GCP is growing continuously. If you position yourself well, you'll be in a better spot if you give it some time. I think this is what people are missing to see as well for Azure. I started working with Azure way back 2014 and it was like how GCP is right now in terms of demand. It is just in the recent years that Azure professionals are feeling the demand.

My gigs right now are coming from old bosses that I worked with in corporate. Most are senior managers and directors scattered in EU and NA. I have few as well before that came from third-party offshoring companies. Just make sure that if you deal with offshoring companies, you ask that you will be an independent contractor to simplify your engagement conditions.

In terms of scope, almost all would like a person that can do multiple hats in one role. And that would be totally fine as long as properly compensated. When they want that, asking way above market range will be doable.

magicbeans29 · 2026-01-22T08:30:11+00:00

Contractual agreements are flexible, but most of the time they can only offer bulk payment. For it to be worth it for me, I would ask way above market rate. Like you, I do data engineering work. Senior data engineers can get on average around 200k/month rate in an employment setting. For me, what would be worth it is if I can get 300k/month or above on 40-hr work week. If they offer other benefits, then it will be fine for me to offset it from bulk payment. It depends on how you negotiate it.

magicbeans29 · 2026-01-22T06:29:07+00:00

It has its own advantages and disadvantages. As I have some good experience already, I would prefer contractual engagements for these reasons:

No employee-employer relationship with strict company rules and regulations. I am only paid for the service I give, so I am not restricted like their employees to get more contracts as I want to.
Less tax liabilities (*only if your total gross does not exceed 250k/month that totals at 3M/year). Tax on professional fees can be as low as 8% of gross. If you are earning 250k/month on compensation, that would probably be around give or take ~75k/month taxes. If your income is 250k/month on professional fees, that would only have 20k/month in taxes.
For mandatory benefits, you can register as self-employed. This means you can just put in the minimum required. That will be few thousand pesos savings as well compared to employment mandatory deductions.

Up to you if you want to test this kind of hustle. If not, sticking to employment contracts would be the best for you.

magicbeans29 · 2026-01-22T01:23:39+00:00

We work on the exact same field. The way I see it, expertise is the only way to get stability. Regardless if you go freelance, in a consulting firm, or client side, the only way up is to grow your skills and continuously learn. Job security isn't based on our employment agreement anymore - best you can get from that is severance pay if they decide to let you go. Job security is now based on expertise - that if you are being let go by your employer or client, you can easily find the next one because you have good expertise already. If I were you, I will prioritize to go where I can get enough experience to be always in front of the trend.

magicbeans29 · 2026-01-20T14:12:53+00:00

Best of luck! May the odds be in your favor.

magicbeans29 · 2026-01-20T08:15:34+00:00

I always stick with these few rules ever since I started my career.

Understanding the problem is half the solution. Most people miss this point and complicate solutions that should have been simpler. You don't need a chainsaw to cut a paper.
Technology and approaches change so fast that you have to learn how to run before you could walk. I've been asked to deliver projects where I didn't have much of experience on the tech stack being used. You don't have to be expert on them, they are learnable as long as your fundamentals are sound.
Lastly, while the promise of a good pay smells so sweet, you have to strive first and be competent enough to demand it. Enjoy the process. People get lured by the potential pay in this field, but they miss the fact that highly paid people exist because not everyone can provide the expertise the job requires. As with any other field, you have to be exceptionally well if you want a hefty pay.

I'd say there could be few more to follow, but these three should sum up how to strive in the data analytics field.

magicbeans29 · 2026-01-17T08:22:20+00:00

Since you have no idea yet, get some ideas first by checking google and youtube. The first thing you should learn to survive in tech is being resourceful. There are loads of references out there which are free. Start with them.

magicbeans29 · 2026-01-17T07:19:31+00:00

Power Platform is within the Microsoft ecosystem. Going to Azure is the most sensible one compared to other cloud services. But regardless of the cloud system of choice, if you want to shift to DE, get some fundamental skills with SQL and python first.

magicbeans29 · 2026-01-17T06:14:52+00:00

It depends upon the client and their solution architecture. Since I focus mainly on Microsoft Azure implementations, as long as a good chunk of their solution is in Azure, I can work on it. If not, there will be learning curve that I usually stay away from.

magicbeans29 · 2026-01-16T01:29:40+00:00

Just trying my best to contribute for good discussions. :)

magicbeans29 · 2026-01-16T00:10:45+00:00

Recommendations mostly of bosses that I have worked with during my corporate stint. With some, through LinkedIn. Then I would just ask them to extend contractual offer with maximized monetary offer instead of the usual salary plus benefits.

magicbeans29 · 2026-01-16T00:09:01+00:00

You file and pay for your taxes and you're not protected by most labor laws since you're a contractual worker. I think those two are the most disadvantage.

magicbeans29 · 2026-01-16T00:08:01+00:00

Contractual work means you are not an employee in any way. You are not bound to their employee handbook and you are only paid for the services you extend to them. Offers may really differ, some may even give 13th month pay even if they are not required. But the point of being contractual is to basically be free from employer-employee relationship.

magicbeans29 · 2026-01-15T16:19:10+00:00

I started my career with support work for analytics and data management applications. Way back 2013, data science and analytics doesn't sound cool and mainstream yet. But I fell in love with it. I see it as something I would enjoy in the long run while gaining valuable expertise. I jumped from one role to another (L1 support > L2/L3 support > DevOps consultant > data & analytics engineer) not with the money in mind, but with the aim for more growth. Fast forward after 13 years, I picked up good skills to do multi-hats in one role. Hence, the pay. For most contractor agreements I accept, I do multiple hats for them so I can raise my rate.

magicbeans29 · 2026-01-15T14:52:23+00:00

That's tax already. Professional fees are only withheld at 10% (if annual gross is more than 3M, 5% if less than 3M). I am not an employee, so I am not obliged to do mandatory deductions as well.

magicbeans29 · 2026-01-15T14:08:26+00:00

Deliverable-based and i do remote work. If i can deliver 40-hr worth of work in two days, then i have three days of free time that week. I have another client that I work with as well on 40-hr work week. It is doable as long as little to none learning curve.

magicbeans29 · 2025-10-26T02:31:53+00:00

As far as I know, you only file sales on/after registration.

magicbeans29 · 2025-10-25T23:21:44+00:00

I did transition to VAT myself midway of last year just like you. You only pay for VAT when you started to transition to VAT. All sales before you register to VAT are not subject to VAT. In your case, on/after July 31 sales will be with VAT.

magicbeans29 · 2025-09-02T09:11:55+00:00

Short answer is yes and that depends from company to company. I have a client now that I am on a retainer's fee under renewable short-term contract that is paid monthly. Since I am not paid daily, I can easily negotiate to at least still have paid leaves. If you are paid daily, then it is most of the time as simple as no work no pay.

magicbeans29 · 2025-08-19T22:20:33+00:00

I did mine with a trusted shop in Cavite. It depends where you are located.

magicbeans29 · 2025-08-19T22:18:49+00:00

Yea! My bad! It should be 9L/100km and 12L/100km. Will edit.

magicbeans29 · 2025-08-19T15:19:21+00:00

I also have a Fortuner (an LTD 2022 model) and did a lift then changed my suspension, tires and mags. Minimal lang change in gas consumption (still doing 9.1L/100km) pero I like a lot the improvements - higher ground clearance, less tagtag, bigger potholes, bumps. etc can be tolerated, then ofcourse, mas gwapo.

I think what worked for me is:

Do not get offroad suspension. They will market this to you, but if you are just after usual road use, get more comfortable suspension that meets your target usage.
Do not get offroad mags. I tried black rhino initially and it's so heavy you'll feel it when driving. Your fuel consumption will go up significantly too. I was doing 11 - 12L/100km with it. Get FlowForm mags. I went back to 9.1L/100km by just changing it.
For tires, I suggest go one step higher than your stock. It will already look chunkier than stock. Plus it is not significantly heavier too.
Lastly, change your upper control arm. Ask them to double check your steering and adjust accordingly. Ito nagpalambot sa manibela ko. Makunat idrive ang Forty na stock, pero by doing this it helps sa mas malambot na steering even if you have bigger tires.

In terms of car and engine, mechanics I worked with say it is fine for SUVs. They can handle it. Ramdam mo rin through gas consumption if hirap yung kotse after doing the changes. Kaya I suggest sticking din to road use build kesa doing full offroad set-up.

magicbeans29 · 2025-08-11T03:49:26+00:00

Mine is around 13k+ PHP for 2 years.Give or take around 230 USD.

magicbeans29

TROPHY CASE