The Joe Reis Show

In this episode, I sit down with Chris Gambill, a data strategy and engineering leader, fractional consultant, and career coach. We dive into the realities of the data engineering job market in 2026, exploring what it takes to stand out, the massive shift AI coding tools are causing, and why mastering the fundamentals of data engineering remains crucial.
Chris shares his unfiltered thoughts on coaching career switchers into data engineering , why finance professionals make great data engineers , and the exact resume and portfolio strategies hiring managers are actually looking for. We also get into the weeds on the latest AI development tools, comparing GitHub Copilot, Claude, and Codex.
If you're looking for solid, no BS advice on the field of data engineering in 2026, this is a great discussion!
Gambill Data Engineering: https://www.gambilldataengineering.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/databasemanagement/

In this episode, I sit down with Gowtham Chilakapati, an analytics veteran of 18 years and Executive Director at Humana , to pull back the curtain on the reality of Agentic AI in the enterprise.We dive deep into the recent wave of tech layoffs—like the news of Block cutting 40% of its workforce —and debate whether AI is truly driving these decisions or simply serving as a convenient excuse for broader management failures.Gowtham shares his firsthand experience navigating an astounding $1 billion AI investment during the early adopter rush of 2024. He details the chaotic first six months of that initiative and the multi-dimensional framework his team developed to measure true return on investment beyond the traditional, and often flawed, software implementation mindset. From the massive risks of pasting PII into LLMs to how AI prototyping is finally bridging the historic gap between product and engineering teams, this conversation is a masterclass in pragmatism for anyone looking to cut through the AI hype, especially in highly regulated industries.

The new Practical Data Community Pulse Survey for March 2026 just came out, and I unveiled some of the findings at yesterday's Undercurrent event in San Francisco.
The short version is: AI is here to stay. Everyone's using it, but the hard parts we've always dealt with as an industry still remain unresolved. Listen and find out why.

In this episode, I sit down with Jake Ward, founder of the Application Developers Alliance. We dig into the AI "Frankenact," aka the EU AI Act, and why policymakers regulating tech they fundamentally misunderstand creates a cold wind for software innovation.Jake drops some harsh truths about why giving developers a voice in Washington is harder than it looks, why collective bargaining and developer unions probably won't work, and how bad policy is forcing companies to build for compliance rather than ship great products.

The data job market is evolving, but it's still there. In this episode, I give my thoughts on the data job market, ways to navigate it, going solo and having a Plan B, and more.