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Learn data engineering

Data engineers turn raw information into insights businesses rely on. Learn what it takes to join this fast-growing field and start building your data engineering skills.

What is data engineering?

Data engineering is the process of building the technical frameworks needed to collect, prepare, and preserve data for use in analytics and company operations. Often confused with data science, data engineering does not focus on data analysis; it only focuses on the technical frameworks that make analysis possible.

With data engineering knowledge, you may qualify for roles like data pipeline engineer, data architect, machine learning engineer, and cloud data engineer.

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Choosing the right data engineering program for you

When choosing the right program to become a data engineer, start by comparing the curriculum offered in each program. Some programs may offer specializations like stream processing, data pipelines, and data warehouse operations.

Additionally, look for a program taught by instructors trained in the most up-to-date data engineering technologies.

Here are several program options to consider:

Courses

Data engineering courses can provide a deep-dive into specific topics or serve as a helpful introduction to the field.

Certificates

Data engineering certificates provide a focused learning experience with credentials that can help enhance your résumé.

Executive education programs

Learning data engineering can be an intensive process. Executive education programs are an excellent option for busy professionals looking to enhance their knowledge in a specific area of data engineering.

Degrees

Most data engineering jobs require a bachelor's degree, so finding a degree program is often the ideal first step to pursuing a career in this field.

Jobs in data engineering

Data engineers work in many industries, including healthcare, technology, retail, manufacturing, government, media, and finance.

Earning a master's in computer science, data analytics, or information systems could help you advance your career and increase your salary potential.

Here are some jobs in the field of data engineering you may be interested in:

Database architect

Database architects design and build technological systems to store and protect data.

Database administrator

Database administrators maintain the systems built by database architects.

  • Required education: Bachelor's degree
  • BLS median annual salary (2024): $104,620

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    FAQs about data engineering

    Why should I learn data engineering?

    The skills you learn in data engineering can position you for many jobs, like business intelligence developer, cloud data engineer, and database architect. These professionals work in a wide range of industries like finance, marketing, healthcare, technology, and retail.

    How long does it take to learn data engineering?

    The prerequisite for most data engineering jobs is a bachelor's degree, which will take four years to earn. Earning a master's in data engineering can prepare you for leadership roles with higher salary potential and typically takes two years to complete.

    How hard is it to learn data engineering?

    If you don't have prior coding or data experience, you may find data engineering challenging but rewarding. Generally, study requires a deep understanding of coding, hardware systems, science, algorithms, and math. Keep in mind that these are not prerequisites to many degree programs. These programs will teach you everything you need to know.