Introduction
When I landed my first job in Data, I didn’t actively choose the type of team or their technical expertise. I was already an internal employee, and I simply trusted the people around me while having the confidence that I could succeed. I’ve written about this experience in a previous blog post.
Now, after years in the industry and having held a variety of roles, I can say that there are distinct options available, each with its own pros and cons. While I encourage people to experiment with different roles and environments, I also recognize that not every role suits every individual. Before landing your first job—or taking the leap into a new role—it’s essential to understand your options and determine what fits you best.
From my perspective, the three primary paths for a data professional are consulting, internal teams, and product. Each comes with unique characteristics, but I’ll compare them here using five specific dimensions: technical expertise, ownership, communication, speed, and metrics of success. These dimensions provide a clear framework to evaluate which path aligns with your strengths, preferences, and career goals.
Technical Expertise
To understand the differences between these three options, we first need to grasp the nature of the work in each context.
In internal teams, the technical landscape is relatively stable. The team typically uses a fixed set of tools, and there’s usually deep expertise within the organization around those tools. The primary focus is on creating value for other teams within the company, with an emphasis on maintaining existing solutions and scaling them when necessary. The work often revolves around stability, optimization, and gradual improvement.
In consulting, the technical requirements are far more dynamic. You need to stay up to date with a wide range of tools, even if you aren’t proficient in all of them. Your role is to be perceived as the "expert" by clients, which means understanding their needs and selecting the best tools for the job. The priority is rapid prototyping and delivering functional results quickly, often within tight deadlines.
In product teams, technical expertise narrows in scope but deepens in specialization. You’ll likely focus on a small set of tools and need to master them to deliver high-quality results efficiently. The goal is to build reusable components and scalable systems while keeping solutions flexible and adaptable for future iterations. The work requires meticulous attention to detail and robust engineering practices to ensure the product evolves effectively.
Ownership and Impact
Ownership varies significantly across these three roles.
In internal teams, ownership is at its highest. You’re involved throughout the project’s entire lifecycle—from development to deployment and ongoing maintenance. This allows you to see the long-term impact of your work and continuously refine solutions as you identify areas for improvement. With adequate resources, you can iterate on your projects over time, which builds a profound, end-to-end understanding of the systems you work on.
In consulting, ownership is far more limited. Your primary focus is delivering a functional solution as quickly as possible. Once the solution is handed over, your involvement ends. You have little insight into how the solution will be maintained or its long-term success. This can make it difficult to develop a sense of responsibility for or connection to the outcomes of your work.
In product teams, ownership is unique. While you own the technical aspects of the features or components you build, the broader impact is often beyond your control. Product teams aim to iterate quickly and test new features, knowing some will ultimately be discarded. The impact of each feature depends heavily on user adoption and business strategy, which can sometimes make the connection between your work and the team’s mission feel random. Your ownership is rooted in how well the feature works, but not necessarily in its long-term relevance or success.
Communication
Communication styles also differ across these environments.
In internal teams, communication is about building strong relationships with stakeholders within the organization. You need to align your work with the strategic goals of other teams, explaining technical concepts clearly and fostering collaboration. Over time, you become a trusted partner to internal teams, which can strengthen your ability to influence decision-making.
In consulting, communication takes on a more external focus. You must navigate client relationships, build trust quickly, and distill complex technical solutions into digestible insights. Your audience will vary widely across industries and levels of expertise, requiring adaptability and strong interpersonal skills.
In product teams, communication is centered on cross-functional collaboration. You’ll work closely with product managers, designers, and engineers, translating business goals into technical requirements and vice versa. The emphasis is on teamwork and ensuring alignment with the product vision and development cycles.
Speed and Agility
The pace of work varies greatly between these roles.
In consulting, speed is paramount. Projects often have tight deadlines, and the focus is on rapid delivery rather than perfecting every detail. Agility is crucial, as you’ll frequently switch contexts and adapt to new industries or client requirements.
In internal teams, the pace is more moderate. You have the opportunity to plan and execute projects thoughtfully, with a focus on sustainability and long-term value. Iteration is a key part of the process, allowing for gradual refinement.
In product teams, the pace is tied to Agile development cycles and the demands of feature releases. While speed is essential, especially during sprints, there’s also a strong emphasis on robustness and scalability. Balancing these priorities can be challenging but rewarding.
Metrics of success
Finally, the metrics used to define success differ across these roles.
In consulting, success is often measured by client satisfaction, timely delivery, and the perceived value of the solution.
In internal teams, the metrics are more operational—think adoption rates, business impact, and the alignment of solutions with organizational goals.
In product teams, success is tied to the performance and adoption of the product itself. Metrics like user engagement, feature utilization, and scalability are critical. These metrics are often outside your immediate control, making success more of a team effort than an individual accomplishment.
Conclusion
Each of these roles—consulting, internal teams, and product—offers unique challenges and rewards. By understanding their differences across technical expertise, ownership, communication, speed, and metrics of success, you can make informed decisions about which path aligns with your career goals and strengths.
Experimenting with different roles can be invaluable for broadening your perspective, but knowing what excites and motivates you will ultimately help you thrive. Whether you prioritize stability, variety, or innovation, there’s a role that fits your aspirations. Choose wisely, and grow with confidence.
Until next time,
Christos Georgoulis