Yordan Ivanov
@ivanovyordan.com
Head of Data Eng | Building modern systems + sharper leaders
✍️ datagibberish.com | 📕 ivanovyordan.com
✍️ datagibberish.com | 📕 ivanovyordan.com
I have no skills.
Not a single one.
Should I feel left behind for not using OpenClaw?
Not a single one.
Should I feel left behind for not using OpenClaw?
February 11, 2026 at 9:00 PM
I have no skills.
Not a single one.
Should I feel left behind for not using OpenClaw?
Not a single one.
Should I feel left behind for not using OpenClaw?
Podcasts are FREE
Blogs are FREE
YouTube is FREE
Learning is FREE.
What's stops you then?
Blogs are FREE
YouTube is FREE
Learning is FREE.
What's stops you then?
February 11, 2026 at 11:36 AM
Podcasts are FREE
Blogs are FREE
YouTube is FREE
Learning is FREE.
What's stops you then?
Blogs are FREE
YouTube is FREE
Learning is FREE.
What's stops you then?
The best way to train a senior DE isn’t a code review.
It’s letting them ship a design you know will break.
Technical intuition is forged in the cleanup, not the doc.
Let them fail safely on internal stakes. No blame. Just scar tissue.
Stop protecting them from growth.
It’s letting them ship a design you know will break.
Technical intuition is forged in the cleanup, not the doc.
Let them fail safely on internal stakes. No blame. Just scar tissue.
Stop protecting them from growth.
February 10, 2026 at 9:01 PM
The best way to train a senior DE isn’t a code review.
It’s letting them ship a design you know will break.
Technical intuition is forged in the cleanup, not the doc.
Let them fail safely on internal stakes. No blame. Just scar tissue.
Stop protecting them from growth.
It’s letting them ship a design you know will break.
Technical intuition is forged in the cleanup, not the doc.
Let them fail safely on internal stakes. No blame. Just scar tissue.
Stop protecting them from growth.
Most data engineers fail the whiteboard interview before they write a line of code.
How you think you pass a whiteboard interview:
- Memorize LeetCode solutions
- Suggest tech stacks
- Draw diagrams immediately
- Work in silence
How you think you pass a whiteboard interview:
- Memorize LeetCode solutions
- Suggest tech stacks
- Draw diagrams immediately
- Work in silence
February 10, 2026 at 8:00 AM
Most data engineers fail the whiteboard interview before they write a line of code.
How you think you pass a whiteboard interview:
- Memorize LeetCode solutions
- Suggest tech stacks
- Draw diagrams immediately
- Work in silence
How you think you pass a whiteboard interview:
- Memorize LeetCode solutions
- Suggest tech stacks
- Draw diagrams immediately
- Work in silence
Ideas come from reading.
Clarity comes from writing.
I read this somewhere and I deeply believe it.
Clarity comes from writing.
I read this somewhere and I deeply believe it.
February 9, 2026 at 9:00 PM
Ideas come from reading.
Clarity comes from writing.
I read this somewhere and I deeply believe it.
Clarity comes from writing.
I read this somewhere and I deeply believe it.
5 luxiuries in data
- Fun technical projects
- Clear requirements
- Well structured data
- Realistic expectations
- Budget for people and tools
What else?
- Fun technical projects
- Clear requirements
- Well structured data
- Realistic expectations
- Budget for people and tools
What else?
February 9, 2026 at 8:26 AM
5 luxiuries in data
- Fun technical projects
- Clear requirements
- Well structured data
- Realistic expectations
- Budget for people and tools
What else?
- Fun technical projects
- Clear requirements
- Well structured data
- Realistic expectations
- Budget for people and tools
What else?
Anyone else feeling app fatigue lately?
New apps, new logins, new password.
I thought the Internet was suppose to make things easier.
New apps, new logins, new password.
I thought the Internet was suppose to make things easier.
February 5, 2026 at 9:00 PM
Anyone else feeling app fatigue lately?
New apps, new logins, new password.
I thought the Internet was suppose to make things easier.
New apps, new logins, new password.
I thought the Internet was suppose to make things easier.
AI engineering is basically data engineering with a new badge.
"AI support” is a big part of the data eng job, but you can build the actual solutions.
Same concepts, new labels: ETL, tasks, DAGs.
You’re closer than you think. Full mapping in comments
"AI support” is a big part of the data eng job, but you can build the actual solutions.
Same concepts, new labels: ETL, tasks, DAGs.
You’re closer than you think. Full mapping in comments
February 5, 2026 at 8:00 AM
AI engineering is basically data engineering with a new badge.
"AI support” is a big part of the data eng job, but you can build the actual solutions.
Same concepts, new labels: ETL, tasks, DAGs.
You’re closer than you think. Full mapping in comments
"AI support” is a big part of the data eng job, but you can build the actual solutions.
Same concepts, new labels: ETL, tasks, DAGs.
You’re closer than you think. Full mapping in comments
If tools like Snowflake feel too expensive, you probably don’t need them.
Instead, go with a more straightforward solution like PostgreSQL.
It’s much cheaper to manage.
Instead, go with a more straightforward solution like PostgreSQL.
It’s much cheaper to manage.
January 28, 2026 at 9:00 AM
If tools like Snowflake feel too expensive, you probably don’t need them.
Instead, go with a more straightforward solution like PostgreSQL.
It’s much cheaper to manage.
Instead, go with a more straightforward solution like PostgreSQL.
It’s much cheaper to manage.
The best data engineering work is invisible.
No outages.
No angry PMs.
No broken dashboards.
Which means…
No credit.
No praise.
No promotion.
You prevented the fire.
So no one believes it was ever real.
No outages.
No angry PMs.
No broken dashboards.
Which means…
No credit.
No praise.
No promotion.
You prevented the fire.
So no one believes it was ever real.
January 27, 2026 at 9:00 AM
The best data engineering work is invisible.
No outages.
No angry PMs.
No broken dashboards.
Which means…
No credit.
No praise.
No promotion.
You prevented the fire.
So no one believes it was ever real.
No outages.
No angry PMs.
No broken dashboards.
Which means…
No credit.
No praise.
No promotion.
You prevented the fire.
So no one believes it was ever real.
Modern data career path:
- Pay $300 to memorize a vendor brochure
- Pass a test with 4 answer choices
- Add “Certified Engineer” to LinkedIn
- Get billed out at $300/hour
- Get paid the same as last week
- Pay $300 to memorize a vendor brochure
- Pass a test with 4 answer choices
- Add “Certified Engineer” to LinkedIn
- Get billed out at $300/hour
- Get paid the same as last week
January 27, 2026 at 9:00 AM
Modern data career path:
- Pay $300 to memorize a vendor brochure
- Pass a test with 4 answer choices
- Add “Certified Engineer” to LinkedIn
- Get billed out at $300/hour
- Get paid the same as last week
- Pay $300 to memorize a vendor brochure
- Pass a test with 4 answer choices
- Add “Certified Engineer” to LinkedIn
- Get billed out at $300/hour
- Get paid the same as last week
The fastest way to lose trust after a pipeline failure
is naming the tool first.
Explain impact, not libraries.
Flow stopped. Signal broke. Decision worsened it. Guardrail fixed it.
Systems > syntax.
is naming the tool first.
Explain impact, not libraries.
Flow stopped. Signal broke. Decision worsened it. Guardrail fixed it.
Systems > syntax.
January 26, 2026 at 8:00 PM
The fastest way to lose trust after a pipeline failure
is naming the tool first.
Explain impact, not libraries.
Flow stopped. Signal broke. Decision worsened it. Guardrail fixed it.
Systems > syntax.
is naming the tool first.
Explain impact, not libraries.
Flow stopped. Signal broke. Decision worsened it. Guardrail fixed it.
Systems > syntax.
Agile was supposed to make teams faster.
Instead, it made managers feel busier.
"Agile" often just means "we don't have a plan, so you'll have to work weekends."
If you’re shipping broken pipelines under the banner of velocity, you are not agile.
Instead, it made managers feel busier.
"Agile" often just means "we don't have a plan, so you'll have to work weekends."
If you’re shipping broken pipelines under the banner of velocity, you are not agile.
January 26, 2026 at 9:00 AM
Agile was supposed to make teams faster.
Instead, it made managers feel busier.
"Agile" often just means "we don't have a plan, so you'll have to work weekends."
If you’re shipping broken pipelines under the banner of velocity, you are not agile.
Instead, it made managers feel busier.
"Agile" often just means "we don't have a plan, so you'll have to work weekends."
If you’re shipping broken pipelines under the banner of velocity, you are not agile.
Data folks often ask
"How can I give more value to my stakeholders?"
A better question is:
"How am I helping the business?"
You already do a lot. Know your value.
"How can I give more value to my stakeholders?"
A better question is:
"How am I helping the business?"
You already do a lot. Know your value.
January 19, 2026 at 4:35 AM
Data folks often ask
"How can I give more value to my stakeholders?"
A better question is:
"How am I helping the business?"
You already do a lot. Know your value.
"How can I give more value to my stakeholders?"
A better question is:
"How am I helping the business?"
You already do a lot. Know your value.
Do you type or dictate when you interact with the AI?
Dictation weird initially, you know, like I'm talking to myself.
Now It reminds to the times when when I'd sit with a junior and how to write code.
PS: Don't do it in public unless you want to make people feel awkward.
Dictation weird initially, you know, like I'm talking to myself.
Now It reminds to the times when when I'd sit with a junior and how to write code.
PS: Don't do it in public unless you want to make people feel awkward.
January 18, 2026 at 8:00 PM
Do you type or dictate when you interact with the AI?
Dictation weird initially, you know, like I'm talking to myself.
Now It reminds to the times when when I'd sit with a junior and how to write code.
PS: Don't do it in public unless you want to make people feel awkward.
Dictation weird initially, you know, like I'm talking to myself.
Now It reminds to the times when when I'd sit with a junior and how to write code.
PS: Don't do it in public unless you want to make people feel awkward.
I just rebuild my personal website and vibecoed the shit out of it.
→ Design: Google AI Studio
→ CMS: Pages CMS
→ Hosting: Cloudflare Pages
→ Backend: Cloudflare Workers
0 cost.
Check the the full write-up: https://www.ivanovyordan.com/blog/building-my-personal-website-with-ai-write-up
→ Design: Google AI Studio
→ CMS: Pages CMS
→ Hosting: Cloudflare Pages
→ Backend: Cloudflare Workers
0 cost.
Check the the full write-up: https://www.ivanovyordan.com/blog/building-my-personal-website-with-ai-write-up
January 18, 2026 at 9:00 AM
I just rebuild my personal website and vibecoed the shit out of it.
→ Design: Google AI Studio
→ CMS: Pages CMS
→ Hosting: Cloudflare Pages
→ Backend: Cloudflare Workers
0 cost.
Check the the full write-up: https://www.ivanovyordan.com/blog/building-my-personal-website-with-ai-write-up
→ Design: Google AI Studio
→ CMS: Pages CMS
→ Hosting: Cloudflare Pages
→ Backend: Cloudflare Workers
0 cost.
Check the the full write-up: https://www.ivanovyordan.com/blog/building-my-personal-website-with-ai-write-up
Data folks often ask
"How can I give more value to my stakeholders?"
A better question is:
"How am I helping the business?"
You already do a lot. Know your value.
"How can I give more value to my stakeholders?"
A better question is:
"How am I helping the business?"
You already do a lot. Know your value.
January 18, 2026 at 5:57 AM
Data folks often ask
"How can I give more value to my stakeholders?"
A better question is:
"How am I helping the business?"
You already do a lot. Know your value.
"How can I give more value to my stakeholders?"
A better question is:
"How am I helping the business?"
You already do a lot. Know your value.
Want to grow beyond a senior data engineer?
Move beyond code
own business problems.
https://www.datagibberish.com/p/how-to-stop-waiting-for-permission-to-lead-data-engineering
Move beyond code
own business problems.
https://www.datagibberish.com/p/how-to-stop-waiting-for-permission-to-lead-data-engineering
January 17, 2026 at 5:16 PM
Want to grow beyond a senior data engineer?
Move beyond code
own business problems.
https://www.datagibberish.com/p/how-to-stop-waiting-for-permission-to-lead-data-engineering
Move beyond code
own business problems.
https://www.datagibberish.com/p/how-to-stop-waiting-for-permission-to-lead-data-engineering
Stop nodding in meetings.
Demand clear logic.
Don't be a human middleware. Be an engineer.
https://www.datagibberish.com/p/the-presumption-debt-in-data-engineering-projects
Demand clear logic.
Don't be a human middleware. Be an engineer.
https://www.datagibberish.com/p/the-presumption-debt-in-data-engineering-projects
January 13, 2026 at 5:00 PM
Stop nodding in meetings.
Demand clear logic.
Don't be a human middleware. Be an engineer.
https://www.datagibberish.com/p/the-presumption-debt-in-data-engineering-projects
Demand clear logic.
Don't be a human middleware. Be an engineer.
https://www.datagibberish.com/p/the-presumption-debt-in-data-engineering-projects
Stop chaos in data projects.
Turn vague requests into clear commitments before you start.
https://www.datagibberish.com/p/the-data-project-entry-manual
Turn vague requests into clear commitments before you start.
https://www.datagibberish.com/p/the-data-project-entry-manual
January 12, 2026 at 3:51 PM
Stop chaos in data projects.
Turn vague requests into clear commitments before you start.
https://www.datagibberish.com/p/the-data-project-entry-manual
Turn vague requests into clear commitments before you start.
https://www.datagibberish.com/p/the-data-project-entry-manual
Stop chaos in data projects.
Clarify intent early.
Freeze scope.
Ship with trust.
https://www.datagibberish.com/p/the-data-project-entry-manual
Clarify intent early.
Freeze scope.
Ship with trust.
https://www.datagibberish.com/p/the-data-project-entry-manual
January 8, 2026 at 5:00 PM
Stop chaos in data projects.
Clarify intent early.
Freeze scope.
Ship with trust.
https://www.datagibberish.com/p/the-data-project-entry-manual
Clarify intent early.
Freeze scope.
Ship with trust.
https://www.datagibberish.com/p/the-data-project-entry-manual
Meeting before the meeting? Then another meeting after the meeting?
This is madness!
Fix your process. Seriously.
This is madness!
Fix your process. Seriously.
January 8, 2026 at 2:35 PM
Meeting before the meeting? Then another meeting after the meeting?
This is madness!
Fix your process. Seriously.
This is madness!
Fix your process. Seriously.
Your stack is a confession.
Buying a $50k platform to move 100MB shows mediocrity.
Seniority is the courage to stay boring:
» DuckDB over Spark
» Cron over K8s
» SQL over lock-in
Stop building resume-driven graveyards.
PS: Read the full article in my latest newsletter issues.
Buying a $50k platform to move 100MB shows mediocrity.
Seniority is the courage to stay boring:
» DuckDB over Spark
» Cron over K8s
» SQL over lock-in
Stop building resume-driven graveyards.
PS: Read the full article in my latest newsletter issues.
January 5, 2026 at 8:37 PM
Your stack is a confession.
Buying a $50k platform to move 100MB shows mediocrity.
Seniority is the courage to stay boring:
» DuckDB over Spark
» Cron over K8s
» SQL over lock-in
Stop building resume-driven graveyards.
PS: Read the full article in my latest newsletter issues.
Buying a $50k platform to move 100MB shows mediocrity.
Seniority is the courage to stay boring:
» DuckDB over Spark
» Cron over K8s
» SQL over lock-in
Stop building resume-driven graveyards.
PS: Read the full article in my latest newsletter issues.
Resolutions are bugs. A wish is not a strategy.
You don't need motivation. You need a priority queue.
Saying yes to X means saying no to Y.
Remove the choice. Build the gate.
You don't need motivation. You need a priority queue.
Saying yes to X means saying no to Y.
Remove the choice. Build the gate.
January 5, 2026 at 7:31 PM
Resolutions are bugs. A wish is not a strategy.
You don't need motivation. You need a priority queue.
Saying yes to X means saying no to Y.
Remove the choice. Build the gate.
You don't need motivation. You need a priority queue.
Saying yes to X means saying no to Y.
Remove the choice. Build the gate.
Where your data team sits isn’t an org-chart detail.
It’s a strategic decision about influence, incentives, and authority.
And once you see it that way, the tradeoffs become obvious.
https://links.ivanovyordan.com/meGY
It’s a strategic decision about influence, incentives, and authority.
And once you see it that way, the tradeoffs become obvious.
https://links.ivanovyordan.com/meGY
December 30, 2025 at 9:43 AM
Where your data team sits isn’t an org-chart detail.
It’s a strategic decision about influence, incentives, and authority.
And once you see it that way, the tradeoffs become obvious.
https://links.ivanovyordan.com/meGY
It’s a strategic decision about influence, incentives, and authority.
And once you see it that way, the tradeoffs become obvious.
https://links.ivanovyordan.com/meGY