Rob Lim has been there for (almost) everything Great Expectations.
Rob is a software engineer—in fact, he was GX’s first-ever engineering hire. Currently, his team is focused on GX Cloud.
Do you have any fun facts about GX’s early days?
I can testify that GX can unironically claim the ‘it all started in a garage’ trope. When I joined we split time between our respective home offices, and Abe’s was in his garage. Mine was in an old SF warehouse.
What was your experience with data quality before you came to GX?
Pretty much none—I was happily naive! I joined GX straight from a coding bootcamp, after spending some time in healthcare and education.
Once you learned about data quality, did you see it start to show up in your day-to-day life? If so, how?
Absolutely! Before I learned about data quality, or the data world in general, I had the tendency to see software and data as one and the same. Now, when I see something wonky out in the world, like a 9,000°F temperature forecast, I don’t just think “That’s buggy software!” but also “Oh, there might be a data quality problem!”
Why did you decide to start coding?
After doing a lot of math tutoring, I started to really love and appreciate math in a different way. I came to see my work as teaching students how to communicate and solve problems using the language and logic of mathematics vs. “how do you do x to get the right answer”. I thought coding might be similar, so out of curiosity, I picked up and went through a 1st semester computer science textbook and got hooked.
What are you working on currently?
Right now my team is focused on the GX Cloud onboarding process—guiding new users to getting value out of Cloud as quickly and smoothly as possible.
What’s your favorite thing about your job?
Getting to do impactful work on a variety of interesting problems, and doing so alongside colleagues and leaders who are super kind, curious, and intelligent.
Light mode or dark mode?
Definitely dark mode! I spend a lot of time staring at four screens. Without dark mode, I’d be completely exhausted by lunchtime.
Where are you based geographically? What do you do outside of work?
I’m based in Oakland, CA. I have too many hobbies for my own good—I love any sort of making/tinkering/building! Origami and lighting design has been a longtime creative interest; more recently I’ve been getting more into CNC fabrication and home automation.
Outside of making stuff, I enjoy rock climbing, kayaking, and motorcycling with my fiancé.
Interested in GX Cloud? Sign up for the Beta here!
