There are many paths to success and while not everyone takes the same path, we often manage to arrive at the same destination. In our KAI Partners Staff Profile series, we share interviews and insight from some of our own employees here at KAI Partners. Our staff brings a diversity in education, professional, and life experience, all of which demonstrate that the traditional route is not necessarily the one that must be traveled in order to achieve success.
Today, we bring you the journey of Ajay Bhat, Senior Data Architect, KAI Partners Inc. who works as Enterprise Data Architect for one of KAI Partners’ public sector clients. His role involves managing different Data Management activities and architecting solutions to meet the client’s needs.
KAI Partners, Inc.: How did you get into your line of work?
Ajay Bhat: My first job as GET (Graduate Engineer Trainee) was assisting in doing Business Process Reengineering and helping implement Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP). Though a Mechanical Engineer by background, my first job introduced me to various IT tools used for ERP implementation. Over a period of time, I got trained in different ERP softwares.
KAI: Are there any certifications or trainings you’ve gone through that have helped in your career?
AB: Staying up with technology is something that I have always liked. I have completed certifications in Oracle, JAVA, and SAS. I did some self-learning courses in Big Data technologies and Data Science. I also went back to school to get my MBA in Business Intelligence from University of Colorado, Denver.
KAI: What is your favorite part about your line of work and why?
AB: Problem solving is my favorite part of my job. When I go to work, there is always an issue to resolve that involves some aspect of critical thinking. Using technology to implement solutions is another thing I like about my job.
KAI: What is one of the most common question you receive from clients and what counsel or advice do you give them?
AB: Depending on the project, the questions may vary, but most frequently I am asked how I am able to switch the roles on a project so fast. One day I may be a Database programmer, DBA another day, data Modeler, BI guy, or Data Architect some other day. Switching between roles is what I do frequently. My answer to this is that any role is a series of small logical steps. It may seem quite overwhelming from a distance, but if we break it down into a series of logical steps, it is doable. This directly applies to any problem solving I do in my day-to-day life as well.
Now that we’ve learned more about Ajay’s data architecture work, here’s a little more about him!
Quick Q&A with Ajay:
Daily, must-visit website(s):
https://github.com/
https://www.kdnuggets.com/datasets/index.html
https://www.kaggle.com/
https://slack.com/
Preferred genre of music or podcast to listen to: Classic jazz, Bollywood music
Best professional advice received: At the end of day it is just another day at work, do your best.
Book you can read over and over again: Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda
Most-recent binge-watched show: I don’t binge watch now, but did binge “24” a while ago
About Ajay: Ajay currently supports a public sector client doing Data Management. Besides work, he loves outdoor activities, racquetball, running and a game of chess. He also practices meditation regularly.