The Journey Thus Far…
This past year, I celebrated my 5th year at Google Cloud. From the moment I received my badge, I knew I was embarking on a transformative experience, one that would not only challenge me professionally, but also fuel my passion for learning and personal growth.
What has happened these 5 years, since I joined Google in 2019?
At the end of 2019, eleven months after joining Google, I found myself among 300 other employees who were laid off. It was a blow, to say the least. But as they say, every cloud has a silver lining. And for me, that silver lining came in the form of a new opportunity—a chance to pivot from sales. At the beginning of 2020, I transfered to Google Cloud’s consulting org, back in California.
However, the idea of returning to California didn't exactly fill me with joy (high taxes, angry drivers, smog, etc). Little did I know… among what I didn’t like about California… a pandemic was also looming on the horizon. Despite the uncertainty that hung in the air, I dove headfirst into my new role, determined to make the most of the hand I had been dealt.
My first assignment was to work with Google's second-largest client, Snapchat, which had a $2.3 Billion dollar commit. I was assigned to oversee their data anlaytics workloads —a daunting task for someone who didn’t have a degree in data analytics. Suddenly, I found myself responsible for managing over 400 petabytes of data, global capacity plans, and navigating uncharted waters with a steady hand.
In 2021, I was presented with a new challenge—to lead an initiative aimed at developing a data governance product for Snapchat. It was a monumental task, one that required collecting requirements, staffing a product manager, and supporting the product team from inception to launch. The journey was arduous, filled with late nights, countless escalations, and seemingly insurmountable obstacles. But through sheer determination, we saw the project through to fruition, launching the product publicly in 2022.
After the product's launch, I continued to support the product team on a part-time basis, focusing on external-evangelism and internal-enablement. I also supported our partner alliance team, by onboarding Deloitte, Accenture, and KPMG into the Dataplex family; showcasing best practices for implimentation and GTM strategies. Meanwhile, I transitioned to managing my own enterprise accounts, including BigCommerce, Indeed.com, and Workiva—a testament to my growing expertise and leadership within the organization.
In 2023, my efforts were recognized with a prestigious "Google Cloud Tech Impact" Award—an acknowledgment of the hard work and dedication I had poured into my role. Yet, as I basked in the glow of this achievement, another opportunity presented itself. With my manager on paternity leave, I seized the chance to launch a data governance practice within the consulting organization—a decision that would ultimately reshape the trajectory of my career. From humble beginnings, the practice grew from a team of one to fifteen, as we worked to establish data governance best practices for clients.
The journey didn't stop there. In 2024 in search of new challenges and opportunities for growth, I made the bold decision to transfer teams, supporting a Fortune 50 client full-time and helping them navigate the complexities of data governance in the modern age. They’re in the middle of a 34 petabyte Terradata to BigQuery migration.
Now, today, as I stand at the precipice of the unknown, I can't help but feel a sense of wonder for what lies ahead. I look towards the future, I do so with a renewed sense of curiosity, pondering the endless possibilities that await.
