About

Hey, I’m Tony Nicola, a data engineer by day, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu hobbyist by evening, and full-time dad with a mild obsession for automating everything (except bedtime routines... those are non-negotiable).

By trade, I wrangle data into shape using tools like SQL, Python, Airflow, Snowflake, and DBT. I specialize in building pipelines that move data cleanly from point A to point B, ideally without catching fire. I currently work at Palomar, where I help design systems that make teams say “oh thank god” instead of “who built this?”

I get a weird amount of joy from eliminating repetitive tasks and streamlining workflows. If a job feels like it should be automated, I’ll quietly script it, give it a name, and set it loose to run in the background like a digital Roomba.

This site is where I document what I’m building, breaking, fixing, or over-engineering. Expect a mix of dev logs, side projects, and bad jokes embedded in technical posts.

Outside the terminal, I’m usually doing something that involves grappling, hiking around the Pacific Northwest, assembling tiny robots, or making something weird with my 3D printer. Life is a string of small experiments, and I like to run a lot of them.