
Arlen Thurber
Senior Systems Engineer
Datastax
Datastax
Senior Systems Engineer
Design and maintenance of mission critical web systems
A typical day is hard to define, there are often problems that arise that need immediate resolution. Things that may never have been encountered before that need to be understood and fixed in a matter of minutes. It is exciting at times, but can get rather monotonous depending on what layers of the job you get focused on. Staying at the forefront of technology means you always get to keep learning, and for me that is one of the best parts of my job.
Here's the first step for high school students
Dont get ahead of your self. Becoming an expert is an admirable goal, but being able to call yourself one in a landscape that is constantly evolving is not easy. What you knew last week is now old news and the next iteration requires you to rethink what you thought you knew. The best advice I can give for anyone interested in an engineering position is to "learn to love to learn". That and, "dont let go of your hobbies", they are what will keep you sane in the midst of chaotic deadlines.
"You should get a job that pays you now. You should not focus on artistic occupations. Jobs are not supposed to be fun, they are supposed to pay the bills."