While studying computer science at Visvesvaraya Technological University, Amogh Raghunath found a passion for a subsection of the field: data mining. At the time, he had no idea that his career would be so heavily shaped by this interest, but looking back now, Amogh's impact and professional path have been shaped by his ability to find and source large sums of data with different use cases.
After graduating, Amogh went on to work as a data analyst at Modelytics India where he built an acquisition and behavioral data model. From Modelytics India, he decided to go back to the world of academia to pursue a master's degree in data science. His post-graduate studies were completed at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and this was the main factor in his decision to move from India to the US, where he has lived ever since.
During his graduate studies, Amogh designed software that became critical to refugee resettlement agencies. This software has helped these agencies optimize the process of placing refugees in new locations. With enough data to work with, Amogh was able to revolutionize a constantly understaffed and overworked sector, allowing refugees to have a better placement experience than ever before.
Growing his professional and technical skills as a software engineer, Amogh went on to work at Red Hat Inc. as an intern. Here, he got a feel for what working with big data was like and was well-equipped for his next role as a data extraction analyst at Ttec Inc. At Ttec Inc., Amogh used Azure Data Lake Services and mastered the new tool that would end up being a catalyst in his professional career, equipping him with the skills he would need to succeed at Amazon.
Currently working with a multinational firm, Amogh designs detailed data platforms and uses Amazon Web Services to help support the business intelligence and marketing functions. Each day is different; sometimes he helps scale applications and other times he transforms large data sets using programming languages like Python and SQL. Amogh has mastered multiple technical languages including Python, C#, R, AWS, and Azure. He is also well-versed in other tool suites such as Fit, PowerBI, CDK, SQL, and Pentaho.
Though much of what Amogh does is complex and behind a screen, his impact directly feeds into the company's success. One of his projects was building a third-party connector that allows marketers to target customers through paid media channels while still abiding by privacy regulations. This leads to higher levels of customer retention and helps ensure efficient marketing spend across the board.
Data engineering plays an important role in organizations all over the world. No matter what a company does or how it interacts with its end-users, having talented individuals that are able to harness and understand large data sets, like Amogh, is more critical than ever. Amogh's passion for data and intelligent positioning of his career have set him apart, but he's just getting started. In his own words, Amogh says, "I'm dedicated to using data to solve business problems and aid decision-making and hope to continue taking ownership in this area. I'd love to move on to a role where I can lead a project related to data quality or ingestion, but ultimately, I'm trusting the process with my career."
Outside of his professional life, Amogh dedicates his spare time to helping the industry he loves to continue to grow. He has been on the Board of Directors for FOCUS since June 2022 and is a published writer for the Times of India. He also helps peer review academic work in his field. Amogh's dedication to learning, growing, and using data to do better will continue to serve his current and future employer, who is lucky enough to partner with him down the line.
Vasid Qureshi is a digital marketer and writer for various media publications.
