The author, a full-stack web developer, shares their experience of discovering the benefits of thinking like a Data Engineer and utilizing off-the-shelf Data Engineering tools. They identify three types of projects that can benefit from these tools: bulk third-party API integration, timestamps and audit trails, and slow & sequential tasks. The author emphasizes the importance of selecting open-source or free-to-use tools with easy setup, monitoring capabilities, and production-ready features. They provide examples of how Data Engineering tools can streamline processes such as integrating APIs, capturing database changes, and managing complex job dependencies.