Ryan Dolley and Aaron Wilkerson sat down with Harini Rajagopal from AAA Life, Pete Cooney from Jackson National Life, and Jason Touleyrou from Parable to talk about what's really happening in data engineering. 

Cloud modernization, AI pressure, cost control, ontology, enterprise architecture, and the messy reality behind the hype straight from practitioners building this stuff in the real world. 

Is the data job market broken — or just reshuffled?

The vibes are all over the place. Some people have tons of opportunities; others have been job hunting for six months. What separates the two camps?

Ryan and Aaron sit down with Jeff and Michael from Birchworks, a 19-year executive search firm specializing in data engineering, data science, and AI placements, to get the real story on what's happening in data hiring right now.

We dig into (and so much more):

• Where the demand actually is (and where it isn't)

• What it takes to break into leadership — and why the CDO role has fundamentally changed

• Honest advice for juniors entering a brutal entry-level market

Whether you're actively job hunting, thinking about your next move, or just want to know where the market is headed, this one's for you.

What’s it like trying to build a data career in 2026? Lilah Kole is 26, based in metro Detroit, and has already stacked an impressive resume - from decision science at IPG Media Brands to Power Platform development at Webasto and Agri, with stops at startups and steel companies in between.

Ryan and Aaron sit down with Lilah to get the perspective that most data podcasts miss: what it actually looks like from the early-career side.

Scott Smith has spent 20 years leading analytics consulting at Wit Solutions in Detroit — from the Business Objects and Qlikview days through Power BI and now AI.

In this episode, we dig into why just being "a data person" won't cut it anymore, what mid-market companies actually need from their data teams, how vibe coding is shaking up enterprise consulting, and Scott's blunt advice for new grads worried AI is coming for their careers.

Plus: why Detroit's data scene is slower than the coasts — and why that's about to change.

The founders of Data in the D share the story behind Detroit’s fastest-growing data community - why it started, how the conference came together, and what’s next for analytics data leaders, engineers, and BI teams in the Motor City.

Featuring Aaron Wilkerson, Ryan Dolley, Jason Touleyrou and Dom Leo.