Most data engineers get their start learning within established frameworks and contributing to projects designed by others. At Asurion, Andrew found something completely different.

Four years in, Andrew is the kind of engineer who gets pulled into rooms where big decisions are made. He’s designing systems that process billions of rows of data, building AI-powered bots to catch anomalies, and choosing his own tech stack and shipping solutions that all make life easier for teammates and customers.

Not bad for someone who joined straight out of IBM, curious about a company he mostly knew for phone insurance.

Kid in a candy store

As a Data Engineer on Asurion's analytics team, Andrew splits his time between building things and helping others build things. Some days that means writing Python to pull data from third-party APIs into Google BigQuery. Other days he's deep in data systems with the analytics team, helping them get answers.

What sets Asurion apart is the speed at which engineers can access new tools and cloud resources. "There are times at Asurion when I feel like a kid in a candy store," he says. "When I needed to set up a daily job to read data from one system and store it in BigQuery, the main limiter was how quickly I could get familiar with Google's Python-bigquery package—not approvals or red tape."

His tech stack reads like a modern data engineer's wish list: Python, SQL, Google Cloud Platform, dbt, Docker, Cloud Run, BigQuery, and Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Solving problems that matter - at massice scale

Andrew's team tackles real questions that influence how Asurion serves millions of customers: Which articles get the most on-page engagement? How do uBreakiFix by Asurion stores rank when people search "phone repair near me"? Are Google reviews mentioning iPhones more positive than ones about Android devices?

The scale makes it interesting. "When we work with billions of rows and terabytes of data that refresh multiple times per day, getting things 'working' is often just the first step," Andrew explains. "There's also the puzzle of making it work fast while minimizing costs."

One project Andrew is particularly proud of? Rebuilding Asurion's Google Analytics system when the company upgraded to GA4 in 2024. Before his work, writing new queries was a drain on the team. Andrew implemented a new system using dbt and Google Cloud that made queries significantly easier to write and guaranteed numbers matched across platforms. "It was a lot of work," he says, "but it's definitely paid off."

Building on that momentum, his team built an AI bot that automatically investigates data anomalies. When the system spots an outlier, the bot digs through historical data and generates a summary of what might be causing it. "It's already saving time and helping us focus on what really matters," Andrew says.

This is the kind of work that surprises people who think Asurion is just an insurance company. But for Andrew, it's proof that titles don't matter as much as good ideas. "I really appreciate how easy it is to reach out to anyone at Asurion, no matter their level or department," he says. "Whenever I hit a wall, there's always someone willing to jump in and help."

What gets him up in the morning

Andrew came to data engineering through an unexpected route. He has a Quantitative Economics degree and a deep interest in how systems work. "I've always been curious about how things work under the hood," he says. "I love the feeling of building something, thinking through all the little possibilities, and then hitting 'run' to see it work."

When his manager hired him, one deciding factor was a personal project Andrew mentioned: a CO2 sensor connected to a Raspberry Pi that would alert him when his room got too stuffy.

"Build stuff," Andrew advises anyone early in their tech career. "The best way to learn is to try it yourself."

He’s building at a different scale—pipelines that make day-to-day work easier for his teammates, systems that help Asurion serve customers better. "If my work makes life a little easier for my coworkers and our customers, I've done my job," he says.

What makes Asurion's data environment unique? The mix of variety and autonomy. "I get to work with all kinds of data and enjoy the freedom to make decisions on the right tool for the job," he says. "I appreciate how often I'm encouraged to take time to get it right or implement improvements that pay off in the long run."

Four years in, Andrew hasn't slowed down. The problems keep getting more interesting. The tools keep evolving. And the impact? It's measurable in billions of rows and millions of customers served.

For engineers who want the freedom to build, the trust to choose their tools, and the chance to make an impact on a massive scale, Andrew’s journey shows what’s possible at Asurion.