# Benjamin Rogojan

> Benjamin Rogojan, known online as SeattleDataGuy, is a data engineer turned full-time independent consultant and content creator based in Denver, CO. After leaving Facebook/Meta in December 2021, he built a media and consulting empire: 100k+ YouTube subscribers, 100k+ Substack newsletter readers, and a thriving consulting firm serving healthcare, fintech, SaaS, and private equity clients. He also runs the Technical Freelancer Academy, helping engineers launch 6-7 figure consulting businesses.

- **Role:** Founder & Lead Consultant at Seattle Data Guy LLC
- **Organizations:** Seattle Data Guy LLC, Technical Freelancer Academy, Estuary (Advisor), Mage (Advisor), Roe AI (Advisor)
- **From:** Washington, United States
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Bachelor of Science in Computer Science (with Honors), University of Washington, Master of Science in Data Science, University of Colorado Boulder, Culinary Degree + Business Associate's Degree, Washington State Running Start Program
- **Known for:** 100,000+ YouTube subscribers on @SeattleDataGuy channel, 100,000+ Substack newsletter subscribers with ~45-47% open rate, 100,000+ LinkedIn followers

## Career timeline

- **~2006** — Enrolled in Washington State Running Start Program at age 16; earned culinary and business degrees
- **~2010** — Returned to school for Computer Science at University of Washington after realizing culinary salary ceiling
- **~2012** — First tech role as Financial Analyst/Programmer at a hospital; became primary developer after senior colleague left
- **~2015** — Joined healthcare startup as Data Engineer; began data pipeline automation and architecture work
- **~2016** — Started freelance consulting organically; friend asked him to convert Access database to SQL Server
- **~2018** — Joined Facebook/Meta as Data Engineer; experienced mature data infrastructure with DataSwarm
- **2021** — Launched YouTube channel (June 2021); left Facebook/Meta to go full-time independent (December 17, 2021)
- **2022** — Migrated newsletter to Substack; grew to 30k+ subscribers; YouTube hit 50k subscribers
- **2023** — Launched Technical Freelancer Academy; YouTube hit 80k+ subscribers; newsletter grew by 37k subscribers
- **2024** — Hit 100k subscribers on both YouTube and Substack; joined Roe AI advisory board; Technical Freelancer Academy reached 1,400+ members
- **2025** — Writing book on data team leadership; expanding Technical Freelancer Academy; planning in-person data dinners

## Achievements

- 100,000+ YouTube subscribers on @SeattleDataGuy channel
- 100,000+ Substack newsletter subscribers with ~45-47% open rate
- 100,000+ LinkedIn followers
- ~58,700 Medium followers
- Founded Seattle Data Guy LLC serving healthcare, finance, SaaS, e-commerce, and private equity clients
- Founded Technical Freelancer Academy with 1,400+ community members
- Advisory roles at Estuary, Mage, and Roe AI
- Organized virtual data conferences with 4,000-4,500+ registrants
- Graduated with Honors from University of Washington CS program
- Left FAANG to build independent consulting and media business generating comparable or greater income
- Featured in The MAD Podcast with Matt Turck (January 2025)
- Created '100 Days of Data Engineering' free educational series

## Latest updates

- **2025-01** — Featured on The MAD Podcast with Matt Turck discussing 'Understanding Data Engineering in 2025'
- **2025-01** — Featured on The Data Mix Podcast discussing journey from Facebook to freelance
- **2025-02** — Featured on The Data Scientist Show discussing moving from Meta to independent consulting
- **2024-09** — Joined Roe AI advisory board
- **2024** — Hit 100k YouTube subscribers and 100k Substack subscribers milestones simultaneously
- **2024** — Technical Freelancer Academy community reached 1,400+ members
- **2025** — Working on a book about data team leadership

## Links

- Website: https://www.theseattledataguy.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjaminrogojan
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/SeattleDataGuy
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/SeattleDataGuy
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SeattleDataGuy

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/benjamin-rogojan
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-04-27