Our Community Champion Program celebrates members who go the extra mile to share knowledge, support fellow practitioners, and help the Databricks Community grow stronger every day. These champions bring curiosity, experience, and a genuine willingness to help others succeed with data and AI.
This month, we’re excited to spotlight Pradeep Singh, whose journey through multiple data roles and passion for the Databricks ecosystem reflect the spirit of continuous learning and giving back that our community thrives on.
Here’s more about @pradeep_singh in his own words —
Can you provide a brief overview of your career journey leading up to your current role?
I started my career as a Mainframe developer at CGI 15 years ago. Staring at the black screen all day was no fun, so I kept learning new technologies. This was the same time when Hadoop was gaining popularity. I spent hours learning the technology and associated tools and frameworks. I spent a few years working with Hadoop, SAS, and AWS Cloud (AWS Glue) after that. I loved Spark, but working with AWS Glue was painful. When I got to try Databricks, I instantly fell in love.
I have been a Full Stack Developer, SRE Lead, Platform Admin, Data Engineer, and Data Architect, but decided to focus specifically on Databricks, as that is where the future of Data and AI leads. At Slalom, I got to explore and learn a lot, and when the opportunity to work specifically on Databricks came along at Computomic, I was thrilled. I am doing my dream job at the moment, working on the tech I absolutely love.
What do you enjoy most about your current job or role?
What I enjoy most is the intersection of high-scale data engineering and the rapid innovation of the Databricks ecosystem. Having spent years navigating everything from Mainframes to AWS Glue, I truly appreciate the elegance of a platform that just works. At Computomic, I love that I get to spend my time solving complex architectural challenges rather than fighting with the infrastructure itself. It’s incredibly rewarding to build solutions where the technology actually keeps pace with my ideas
If you had to describe yourself using three words, what would they be? How do you think your coworkers would describe you?
Persistent, Passionate, and Grounded
I have heard folks calling me calm and cool headed ( Even though I think I am not . I just scream inside quitly ) . I have also been called a very hard worker and passionate person.
Have you had any mentors or significant influences in your professional life? If so, could you tell us about them?
When I worked with Slalom I got to meet some great folks who have influenced me to think differently . One of my colleagues and mentor Arjun Jeyapaalan ( who now works for Databricks ) has helped me the most . Not just with work but life in general.
When and why did you first start using Databricks?
I first started using Databricks about seven years ago. At the time, I was managing big data workloads using Hadoop and AWS Glue, but I found the overhead of infrastructure management and the 'pain points' of Glue's developer experience to be significant bottlenecks.
Are there any Databricks features that you particularly enjoy or find indispensable in your work?
Databricks Asset Bundle .Assistant , Playground , Notebooks . Workflows , Spark Declarative Pipelines ( to name a few . these are what i use on a daily basis and love the most)
Is there a Databricks feature you wish existed or would like to see in future updates?
I wish for most cost control features on Serveless .
I wish we had a way to set timeout for SDP pipelines ( formerly DLT) so it doesn't run forever or need a workflow to set it up ) .
I wish materialized views were as easy to incrementalize as I thought initially and perform ( specially when the logic gets complex ) .
When did you join the Databricks Community, and what motivated you to do so?
I joined at the beginning of this year. I have been mostly a consumer of knowledge from others for a long time, but I think I have reached a point in my career where I felt a strong motivation to give back.
What aspects of the Databricks Community do you find most valuable or enjoyable?
I really wish I had joined earlier. I learn every day from the different problems folks post, as it makes me think about those challenges and the solutions around them. I can’t personally see every possible scenario, so when someone else posts a problem, I get to dig into the solution and learn a thing or two in the process. I also love the support and help the community members have for each other.
Outside of work, what is your favourite hobby or pastime?
I love to hike and run .
Where do you envision yourself professionally in the next three years?
It's hard to see that far. I live one day at a time. But most likely I will still be working with Databricks and aim to be a much more active and impactful contributor to the community.
Want to connect with Pradeep? You can find him on LinkedIn.
Thank you @pradeep_singh for sharing your journey with us and for being part of the Databricks Community. We’re excited to see your continued contributions and the impact you’ll make as you keep learning, sharing, and helping others along the way.
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