Data Masters is a company that places a strong emphasis on mentoring and growth for its employees, recognizing that investing in their development ultimately benefits the company as a whole. One of their senior data engineers, Slagana Nakevska, has a recognizable contribution to this approach being a mentor herself, helping colleagues on their journeys in the data world.
Our People & Culture
We sat down and talked with Slagjana and she shared her thoughts on the importance of mentorship, the challenges she’s faced, and how she’s utilized her personal experience to benefit her colleagues and the company. Her insights provide a valuable perspective on how mentorship can be a powerful tool for personal and professional growth.
Let’s dive in and learn more about Slagana’s journey at Data Masters.
Career beginnings
I am a mathematician by profession, even though early in my career I started collaborating with a team that worked on different projects. As a result, I transitioned to applicative software programming, which marked the beginning of my journey in the IT field. My next career step involved joining a company in which I worked for 13 years, mainly developing software for the insurance domain. Of course, I started as a junior developer, and throughout the years, my job description evolved, and I became a project manager. Those 13 years helped me gain a lot of experience in many different levels of work. The team managed to develop four different solutions for insurance companies, which were quite large and challenging. During that time, my role consisted of communicating business requirements and creating business logic, client communication, and information that had to be translated into software. After some time, I felt like I needed a new challenge, and I chose Data Masters as my new career step, which has proven to be a great choice.
A career in Data Masters
As a Business Intelligence Manager at Data Masters, my primary responsibility is proposing ideas for technical solutions, mainly focused on the technical aspects of the solutions. However, I also take pride in helping younger colleagues achieve their career goals. Currently, I have a couple of younger data enthusiasts whom I guide based on my previous experience. I have an open approach to mentoring and strive to help them address any challenges they face, regardless of the project, the tool they work with, or the domain the project is in. Additionally, I am responsible for maintaining direct communication with multiple clients to address their needs. By taking on these additional responsibilities, I can provide more value to the company and our clients, while also helping to build a strong and talented team at Data Masters.
Largest project
Coincidentally while working at Data Masters, I had the opportunity to work on the largest project of my career. The project involved a data migration effort that required transferring data from one software to another so that the customer could continue their current operations. The project was particularly challenging because it involved data generated over 15 years of operations.
What I’ve learned while in Data Masters
Since joining Data Masters, I’ve had the opportunity to expand my knowledge in the fields of Business Intelligence and Data Engineering, thanks in part to the excellent data science training provided by the Data Masters Academy in 2018. Working at Data Masters has taught me about the critical role that data plays in informing big strategic decisions for companies of all sizes. It’s important to be aware of how companies can use the data they generate daily to target specific client groups and create effective marketing campaigns.
One of the things that set Data Masters apart is our ability to quickly adapt to new technologies required by the industry. We are always inclined to use the latest technologies and stay up-to-date on the latest trends. For example, I had the opportunity to work on a project built on a cloud environment, where we had to use and implement the latest AWS technologies, with additional visualization in Microsoft Power BI. My focus on the project was on the Business Intelligence part, while my colleague Arben Osmani worked on the data engineering part. The collaboration within the company was excellent, and the client was thrilled with the outcome and results they received. This project is a great example of how we adapt and adjust to changes, both individually and as a team.
As someone who values continuous learning, I encourage my younger colleagues to develop and master new tools. I challenge them to learn new things and try to discover something new myself whenever possible. By staying current with the latest technologies and industry trends, we can continue to provide the best service possible to our clients at Data Masters.
Biggest challenge
In addition to the projects mentioned earlier, another project that I consider one of the biggest challenges I’ve faced so far at Data Masters is a big data project in the telco industry with many different source systems. This project allowed me to gain insights into how big corporations make strategic decisions based on data. My main responsibility was to bring all the data to one large Data Warehouse, enabling the company to easily manage the data and make data-driven decisions.
Domain knowledge
To me, the versatility of my experience is essential, as I strive to apply my knowledge and adapt to all domains and projects I work on. I have worked on various projects across different industries, including telecommunications, pharmaceuticals, insurance, and others. In each project, I utilize my experience and adapt my knowledge to the unique requirements of the specific industry, ensuring the best possible outcome.
Knowledge transfer
Knowledge sharing is a crucial part of the culture at Data Masters, and it’s evident from the moment you join the company. Whether you need help with a project or have a question about a particular tool, everyone is willing to lend a hand. Despite the age differences, we all work together like a family, with open communication and a willingness to cooperate. This close-knit environment makes it easier and faster to work, especially because we’re all close even in our private lives.
Client communication
Effective client communication is crucial for the success of any project, and at Data Masters we prioritize building a friendly and collaborative relationship with our clients. However, it’s equally important to establish clear boundaries and expectations to ensure that we understand the client’s needs and can deliver the best solutions. Our ultimate goal is always to provide complete satisfaction to our clients, and that requires open and honest communication about any issues or potential risks. By fostering a partnership based on trust and mutual understanding, we can work together towards a common goal and achieve success for both our company and our clients.
The future of Data Masters
The future of Data Masters lies in the banking and insurance domains, which the company is constantly improving in, and which have a high demand in the market. Banks and insurance companies require fast data-based decisions and data solutions to make informed choices.
Companies from all domains are beginning to recognize the need for such solutions. Although we begin with the Business Intelligence part, it is noticeable that companies are increasingly turning to Machine Learning and Data Science solutions in the past year.
Why Data Masters is a good place to build a career
To build a successful career in the field of data science and engineering, it’s important to dream big, experiment, and continuously learn new technologies. At Data Masters, this is actively encouraged and supported. The company encourages a healthy and friendly work environment where colleagues work towards a common goal, rather than competing against each other. As a young engineer or data scientist, you can feel confident in your ability to dream, experiment, and learn because you will have support and guidance from your colleagues.
The knowledge-sharing mindset between the employees is one of the most important components in the Data Masters growth and success in the past four years.
If you want to work on world-class projects with experienced professionals and you are not afraid to make mistakes (we learn and grow together), you are the perfect fit for us.
Click HERE to see the job openings!
Apply and master your talent with us.
