12 Bold Christmas Challenges for Data Engineers to Crush 2025 Goals
This Christmas, unwrap 12 big wishes to level up your skills and become a stellar data engineer in 2025.
Greetings, curious reader,
Picture this: it’s January, and you’re excited about all the skills you’ll learn this year. But your plans are buried by meetings, deadlines, and a mountain of unread blog posts by March. By December, you’re wondering where the year went and why you still haven’t achieved anything.
This Christmas, let’s rewrite the story. I’ve prepared 12 monthly challenges to help you grow one step at a time. You and I will build skills, form habits, and celebrate progress together.
Each challenge focuses on a specific skill or area of growth. By the end of 2025, you’ll be a more confident, capable data engineer. If you follow this journey, I promise you will be a 10 times better data engineer in less than a year.
Oh, and don’t miss the special Christmas Meme Challenge at the end. It’s a fun way to spread some holiday cheer and win a free Data Gibberish subscription.
🎁 The Gift Of Levelling Up
📉 Why Most New Year’s Resolutions Fail
Here’s the thing. Believe it or not, data engineers are people, too. You dream big, make ambitious New Year’s resolutions, and start January with an endless to-do list.
But let’s be honest—by February rolls around, you are out of battery, and your plans are collecting dust.
Why does this happen? It’s because you try to do too much, too fast. You want to learn every tool, master every skill, and implement every best practice—simultaneously.
That level of ambition feels exciting at first, but it’s also unsustainable. You burn out before you even get started.
💡 One Skill, One Month, Maximum Impact
This year, let’s take a different approach. You and I will focus on just one skill each month.
Not 5, not 3. Just one.
Giving each skill your full attention will build a strong foundation and turn it into a lasting habit.
Here’s how it will work:
Each month, I’ll introduce a new challenge tailored to your growth as a data engineer.
We’ll start small, breaking the skill into manageable steps you can tackle in a few minutes daily.
You’ll practise consistently, and I’ll provide tips, examples, and encouragement to keep you going.
By focusing on one thing at a time, you’ll avoid burnout, stay motivated, and see real progress. Better yet, you’ll continue applying these skills long after the month ends.
📅 Monthly Level-Up Issues to Keep You on Track
Here’s what makes this special: starting January 1st, I’ll send a dedicated monthly Level-Up issue on the first of every month.
This is your guide for the month’s challenge. If the first is a Wednesday, you’ll get two issues—your regular one and the Level-Up issue.
I’ve designed this plan for you to succeed, one step at a time.
Now, everybody will benefit from these special newsletters. However, only Pro Data Gibberish members will have access to all the goodies.
Think of it as upgrading your data engineering toolkit—one tool at a time.
🧭 The Roadmap: Your 12-Step Plan to Become a Better Data Engineer
🏂 January: Craft Your Learning Blueprint
Start your year with a roadmap.
Write down two big goals for 2025: one technical skill to master and one soft skill to develop. Break them into smaller monthly targets, and use a tool like Notion or Google Sheets to track your progress.
By January’s end, you should have a learning blueprint as organised as Santa’s naughty and nice list.
🌹 February: Write Better Python with Type Hinting
Polish your Python by adding type hints.
These annotations make your code easier to understand and maintain, especially in team settings. Use tools like mypy to catch errors early and make debugging a breeze.
By February’s end, your code should sparkle like a well-decorated Christmas tree.
🍀 March: Build and Orchestrate with Apache Airflow
Take your workflows to the next level with Apache Airflow. Learn to create reusable pipelines, schedule tasks, and monitor them with ease.
By March’s end, you should have pipelines running as smoothly as Santa’s sleigh on Christmas Eve.
🌸 April: Tell Stories with Data
Learn to turn data into stories that inspire action. Choose a dataset, structure your insights using a framework like “What?, So What?, Now What?,” and bring them to life with visuals.
By April’s end, your data should shine brighter than holiday lights.
🌼 May: Focus on Testing and Quality Assurance
Reliable pipelines start with robust testing. Use tools like Great Expectations for data validation and write unit tests to catch issues early.
By May’s end, your workflows should be as dependable as Rudolph leading the way through foggy nights.
☀️ June: Build Your Portfolio Website
Showcase your skills by building a personal portfolio website. Use platforms like GitHub Pages or Notion to highlight your projects, skills, and achievements.
By June’s end, you should have a portfolio that speaks for itself—like a gift too good to rewrap.
🍉 July: Automate Infrastructure with IaC
Simplify infrastructure management with Infrastructure as Code (IaC). Learn tools like Terraform or CloudFormation to automate provisioning and manage your resources more effectively.
Your systems should be as reliable as Santa’s workshop by July's end.
Did you know? I wrote an extensive Snowflake learning guide. And you can have this for free!
You only need to share Data Gibberish with 5 friends or coworkers and ask them to subscribe for free. As a bonus, you will also get 3 months of Data Gibberish Pro membership.
🏊 August: Strengthen Stakeholder Management Skills
Improve communication and collaboration with stakeholders. Practise summarising feedback, explaining technical trade-offs, and sending follow-ups to align expectations.
By August’s end, you should handle stakeholders as smoothly as Santa delivering gifts.
📚 September: Experiment with Reverse ETL
Push your data warehouse insights into operational tools using reverse ETL. Tools like Hightouch make it simple to deliver actionable insights where they’re needed most.
By September’s end, your insights should light up dashboards like the star on top of a Christmas tree.
🎃 October: Contribute to Open Source for Hacktoberfest
Join Hacktoberfest and make your first open-source contribution. Find beginner-friendly issues, submit pull requests, and connect with the community.
By October’s end, you should have gifted your skills to the open-source community—a true holiday spirit in action!
🍁 November: Learn and Implement Data Governance Practices
Strengthen your data systems with good governance practices. Define ownership, implement access controls, and document policies for security and reliability.
Your governance should be as solid as Santa’s workshop security by November's end.
🎄 December: Reflect and Showcase Your Journey
Look back on the year and celebrate your growth. Write a “Year in Review” post highlighting your key lessons and achievements and share it with your network.
By December’s end, you should feel proud of your journey and ready for 2026.
😂 Special Christmas Challenge
Feeling festive? Join the Data Engineering Meme Challenge:
Create a funny meme about data engineering.
Share it on these LinkedIn or Bluesky posts comment sections.
Get the most reactions to win a free year of Data Gibberish.
Submissions close on 30th December. Winners will be announced on 1st January.
💭 Final Thoughts
Many data engineers try to learn everything at once and end up overwhelmed. You don’t need to spend hours a day to grow. A few minutes of focused effort, consistently applied, is all it takes.
Each small step adds up over time. By this time next year, you’ll have reached an entirely new level in your career. These challenges are your opportunity to transform without stress.
You and I will work through them together, one month at a time. Join the journey, stay consistent, and make 2025 your best year yet.
🏁 Summary
You don’t need to do everything at once. Growth as a data engineer is about taking steady, focused steps.
Each of these monthly challenges is designed to help you build one skill at a time while keeping the process manageable and fun. By focusing on just one thing each month, you’ll make consistent progress without feeling overwhelmed.
You don’t need to do it all at once—here’s the roadmap you and I will work in 2025:
🏂 January: Set your learning goals.
🌹 February: Polish your Python with type hinting.
🍀 March: Master workflow orchestration with Airflow.
🌸 April: Tell stories that make your data shine.
🌼 May: Build reliable pipelines with testing.
☀️ June: Create a portfolio that speaks for itself.
🍉 July: Use AI to make SQL faster and better.
🏊 August: Improve communication with stakeholders.
📚 September: Deliver insights where they’re needed with reverse ETL.
🎃 October: Contribute to open source during Hacktoberfest.
🍁 November: Secure your data with governance practices.
🎄 December: Reflect on your year and plan the next.
The beauty of this plan is its simplicity. You don’t need to spend hours every day. A few minutes of focused effort is enough to move the needle. By this time next year, you’ll be amazed at how far you’ve come.
Each step is achievable. Let’s take them together.
Until next time,
Yordan
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