Why I Left Facebook to Work for Myself

In this episode of the Data Engineering Central Podcast, I sit down with Ben Rogojan to talk about the real story behind data engineering careers, Big Tech, and what’s changing right now.

Ben shares how he went from working in kitchens… to data engineering… to Facebook… and eventually walking away from it all to build his own consulting business.

And yeah, it wasn’t all glamorous.

“I was making the same money as Facebook… and I hated my life.”

We get into the stuff most people don’t talk about:

* What it’s actually like working in Big Tech

* Why high-paying jobs can still burn you out

* How he transitioned into consulting (and what people get wrong)

* The reality of modern data stacks and tool sprawl

* Whether data engineering is changing because of AI

* Why fundamentals still matter more than ever

Thanks for reading Data Engineering Central! This post is public so feel free to share it.

We also go deep on where the industry is heading:

* Is the “modern data stack” breaking down?

* Are tools like DuckDB actually replacing warehouses?

* Is data modeling dead… or just not trendy anymore?

* What AI is really changing (and what it’s not)

If you’re trying to break into data, grow your career, or figure out where things are headed… this is one of the more honest conversations you’ll hear.

Data Engineering Central is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Ben also runs a course and community for those interested in getting into consulting.