Guided Routes
Where you're going determines where to start.
Each path is a curated sequence through existing content, ordered by a specific goal. No new content — just a thread through what already exists. Paths are added as the content they reference is published.
Example path — System Deep Dive
Distributed fundamentals
Storage internals
Streaming primitives← you are here
Reliability engineering
Query optimization
Entry-Level Data Engineer
Core foundations, basic system behaviors, and common failure patterns. A path toward being effective, not just employable.
goal: effective, not just employed
week 1: execution at scale, correctness
week 2: spark, kafka, storage basics
week 3: performance failures, cost bugs
week 4: reliability, storage decisions
diagnose → explain → fix
Senior-Level Data Engineer
Architecture decisions, scalability constraints, cost reasoning, and the incidents that define senior judgment.
senior judgment = pattern recognition
mid:solves the problem in front of you
senior:sees it before it happens
path: architecture, scalability, incidents
System Deep Dives
Focused paths through Spark, Kafka, or SQL engines — combining the system page with its foundations, architecture, and failure patterns.
spark deep dive:
→ execution at scale (why)
→ apache spark (the tool)
→ performance failures (what breaks)
→ cost-aware design (what it costs)
foundation → system → failure → cost