The relationship between AI and data professionals is evolving rapidly, creating both opportunities and challenges. As companies embrace AI-first strategies and experiment with AI agents, the skills needed to thrive in data roles are fundamentally changing. Is coding knowledge still essential when AI can generate code for you? How important is domain expertise when automated tools can handle technical tasks? With data engineering and analytics engineering gaining prominence, the focus is shifting toward ensuring data quality and building reliable pipelines. But where does the human fit in this increasingly automated landscape, and how can you position yourself to thrive amid these transformations? Megan Bowers is Senior Content Manager, Digital Customer Success at Alteryx, where she develops resources for the Maveryx Community. She writes technical blogs and hosts the Alter Everything podcast, spotlighting best practices from data professionals across the industry. Before joining Alteryx, Megan worked as a data analyst at Stanley Black & Decker, where she led ETL and dashboarding projects and trained teams on Alteryx and Power BI. Her transition into data began after earning a degree in Industrial Engineering and completing a data science bootcamp. Today, she focuses on creating accessible, high-impact content that helps data practitioners grow. Her favorite topics include switching career paths after college, building a professional brand on LinkedIn, writing technical blogs people actually want to read, and best practices in Alteryx, data visualization, and data storytelling. Presented by Alteryx, Alter Everything serves as a podcast dedicated to the culture of data science and analytics, showcasing insights from industry specialists. Covering a range of subjects from the use of machine learning to various analytics career trajectories, and all that lies between, Alter Everything stands as a celebration of the critical role of data literacy in a data-driven world. In the episode, Richie and Megan explore the impact of AI on job functions, the rise of AI agents in business, and the importance of domain knowledge and process analytics in data roles. They also discuss strategies for staying updated in the fast-paced world of AI and data science, and much more. Links Mentioned in the Show: Alter EverythingConnect with MeganSkill Track: Alteryx FundamentalsRelated Episode: Scaling Enterprise Analytics with Libby Duane Adams, Chief Advocacy Officer and Co-Founder of AlteryxRewatch RADAR AI  New to DataCamp? Learn on the go using the DataCamp mobile appEmpower your business with world-class data and AI skills with DataCamp for business

Megan Bowers took an unconventional path to break into the data world. Starting from a self-guided Data Science Bootcamp, she shared her journey through blogging and gained millions of views, and then BOOM! Job offers and monetization opportunities flooded. This is her story. 📌 Interested in blogging for my publication? Get on this interest list: https://tally.so/r/3l4xQW 💌 Join 10k+ aspiring data analysts & get my tips in your inbox weekly 👉 https://www.datacareerjumpstart.com/newsletter 🆘 Feeling stuck in your data journey? Come to my next free "How to Land Your First Data Job" training 👉 https://www.datacareerjumpstart.com/training 👩‍💻 Want to land a data job in less than 90 days? 👉 https://www.datacareerjumpstart.com/daa 👔 Ace The Interview with Confidence 👉 https://www.datacareerjumpstart.com/interviewsimulator ⌚ TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Introduction 03:28 - Gaining traction and recognition through blogging. 07:08 - Career Growth and transition to Alteryx. 14:18 -  Leveraging and advertising your domain expertise. 19:25 - What is a Data Journalist? 22:21 - Writing content. 24:29 - What is Alteryx? 🔗 CONNECT WITH MEGAN 🎥 YouTube Podcast Channel: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfSLx4WE4q501UZjL3Hx-DiS4zyeePEN2 🤝 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/megandibble1/ 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alteryx/ 💻 Alteryx Website: https://www.alteryx.com/ 🔗 CONNECT WITH AVERY 🎥 YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@averysmith 🤝 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/averyjsmith/ 📸 Instagram: https://instagram.com/datacareerjumpstart 🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@verydata 💻 Website: https://www.datacareerjumpstart.com/ Mentioned in this episode: Join the last cohort of 2025! The LAST cohort of The Data Analytics Accelerator for 2025 kicks off on Monday, December 8th and enrollment is officially open!

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Megan Bowers has had a fascinating career path. She studied Industrial Engineering before landing in data where she's held roles as an Analyst, Senior Analyst, Data Journalist, and is now the host of the Alter Everything podcast by Alteryx.  In this episode, Megan shares practical tips and useful anecdotes from her journey, and talks about some of the best lessons she's learned as a Data Journalist and from hosting a data-focused podcast.    What You'll Learn: How data professionals need to be thinking about AI and considerations for building trust in the technology Takeaways from thought leaders on the podcast on AI strategy, analytics excellence, and data storytelling How building your professional brand can change your career trajectory and create opportunities   Register for free to be part of the next live session: https://bit.ly/3XB3A8b   About our guest: Megan Bowers is the Senior Content Manager at Alteryx and host of the Alter Everything podcast by Alteryx Alter Everything Podcast Building Your Professional Brand Megan's Medium Blog Follow Megan on LinkedIn

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