Get to know Mike

1. Tell us a bit about yourself

I'm a data engineer and team lead at Three Rocks, working with SQL Server, Azure cloud services, and Python to build data pipelines that connect various systems. Outside work, rock climbing is my passion, but I also enjoy cooking and spending time with my 13month old daughter.

2. What does a typical day look like for you?

Mornings usually involve meetings and checking overnight ETL processes and addressing any pipeline issues. The rest of the day splits between developing new integrations, optimizing SQL queries, troubleshooting technical challenges, and collaborating with the team on data solutions.

3. What’s one lesson from studying that has really stayed with you?

Break complex problems into smaller, manageable pieces. It's easier to solve ten small problems than one massive one.

4. What’s the most challenging part of being a data engineer that people might not expect?

The detective work, when data doesn't match expectations, you're tracing through multiple systems, servers, and business logic to find where things diverged. It's less about writing code and more about systematic problem-solving.

5. What’s one of your favourite projects you’ve worked on?

Building comprehensive API integration frameworks that automatically handle errors, send notifications, and process data across multiple platforms. Seeing a complex workflow run smoothly end-to-end is satisfying.

6. If you could swap jobs with anyone on the team for a day, who would it be?

Kate in finance – I just know there is a lot of spreadsheets that would be interesting to automate.

7. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?

Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good.

8. What job in your career taught you the most?

All the roles I have worked in have taught me a lot – my current role has probably expanded my technical skills the most – but some of my earlier roles really highlighted the importance of how to work with people which is a skill often overlooked / underestimated.

9. What failure or hard lesson changed the way you work?

Learning that over-engineering solutions upfront usually creates more problems than it solves. Now I build for the requirements I have, not the ones I imagine might come later.

10. What advice would you give yourself ten years ago?

Take the time to understand what the client needs before developing a solution that must be changed later.

11. What word or phrase do you overuse at work?

"It depends" – There usually isn’t a clear answer for anything.