Career Guide: Become a Data Engineer
Every day we receive, process, and analyze a large amount of data, which helps us make decisions. This process is particularly important for companies. They use data to evaluate and optimize their business. A data engineer plays a significant role in this, whose responsibility includes building systems necessary for collecting, storing, and processing large amounts of information.
If you want to pursue a career in data engineering, then you must read this blog. Here you’ll get advice on how to become a successful data engineer.
According to the International Data Corporation, by 2025 we will collect 175 zettabytes (10^21 bits) of data (for comparison, this year’s figure is 33 zettabytes). How will companies manage to store and process information of this scale? The answer is: by hiring many data engineers. The reason for this is that they need more people “on the front line” to collect numerous primary data from various sources.
Their main responsibility is to ensure that teams from different departments of the organization can seamlessly analyze the data they need and use it for multiple purposes. Data engineers use ETL channels to group information and make it clearer and more understandable for the entire company.
How in-demand is the profession of a data engineer?
In 2020, the number of vacancies announced for the position of data engineer increased by 40%. For comparison, this figure was only 10% for data scientists. For this reason, data engineer has become the fastest-growing technology profession, with demand increasing year by year.
In addition, today many companies are replacing physical servers with cloud services, so the need to hire more data engineers is very high to provide significant assistance to the data science team. As for income, this direction also occupies one of the leading positions in this regard. The skills required for data engineering are quite well-paid. For example, in the USA, the average annual income is $115,157. So if you’re planning to change professions and choose a new career path, now is the best time to step into this field.
Now I’ll tell you how to become a successful data engineer and what skills you’ll need for this:
Interest in data-driven decision making To start working in this field, you must have the desire to learn a new and challenging job
Working with data and using it to draw correct and valuable conclusions and assumptions is one of the most useful skills today. In this process, you may encounter problems that require more effort from you. But if you have a strong will for this, you will definitely overcome existing obstacles.
Ability to use SQL and DBMS systems Database Management Systems
(DBMS) are software systems used to store, retrieve, and analyze data. A data engineer is responsible for creating them and performing actions using various tools. The most common tool among them, which is more popular than Python and R, is SQL (Structured Query Language). Therefore, study this tool well and its usage techniques, commands, and syntax.
Knowledge of a programming language
- Data engineers use programming in their daily activities. Accordingly, you should know at least one language – Java or Python.
This role involves data analysis using statistics and graphs, for which Python and other programming languages are often used. Therefore, I advise you that if you don’t already know one of them, start learning it and gain practical experience.
Knowledge of cloud computing basics
As I’ve already told you, companies are actively starting to use cloud services. Data engineers will be involved in this process. Among cloud service platforms, there are three main competitors: Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Platform (GCP), and Microsoft Azure. If you want to continue working in this direction, devote time to learning the basics of cloud computing. Work on projects that will teach you how to effectively use the listed platforms to solve real problems.
Data storage and ETL techniques
Creating effective ETL/ELT channels is important for every organization to store large amounts of information in an organized way. To achieve this, data engineers use various tools, for example, Snowflake, Star. Knowledge of these is an essential skill for your successful career.
Ability to work with big data
- We live in an information age and produce and process numerous bits of data daily. There are many tools to work with big data: Spark, PySpark, Hive. You’ll need to learn techniques for using them and have practical experience to work with large databases.
Knowledge of new tools
This field is constantly evolving and many new instruments are being created that help data engineers perform various types of tasks. For example, Snowflake for data storage, dbt for ELT, Airflow for orchestration. To keep up with the processes and changes in the industry, keep an eye on the news and learn to use such tools.
Data Engineering - About the Course
In parallel with mastering and improving the skills listed above, you can enroll in a data engineering course, which will better introduce you to this field and help you improve your knowledge and gain practical experience. Successfully completing the course and receiving a certificate will definitely help you in the job search process – it will give you an advantage over your competitors.
Now I have good news for you – a data engineering course is starting at Commschool! The program is designed for those who have already learned the Python programming language and are interested in working with data. In the course, you’ll study concepts related to data engineering, practical tools and technologies, work on an individual project, and receive career support from Commschool.
So, get acquainted with the course syllabus in more detail and join us at Commschool!
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