Along with the rapid advancement of technology, various types of new jobs have emerged as needed. Jobs in Information Technology or IT are currently on the rise.
Are you one of the young people who like to explore the IT field? One of the promising professions in the IT field is data engineering.
The growth of technology-based start-ups, known as start-ups, continues to increase from time to time, making job prospects in the IT field, including data engineers, more attractive.
So, an excellent profession in the IT field is not just a developer or programmer, you know! So, what is a data engineer? Let’s get to know this one profession!
Data Engineering Career Overview
Data engineers are usually less eye-catching than the data analyst or data scientist profession. In fact, the data engineer profession is practically irreplaceable in the current Big Data era, you know! Plus, data will forever be meaningless information without the intervention of a data engineer.
Why? In carrying out their duties, a data engineer is also tasked with collecting and modifying data and storing it in a database in a form that is easier for data scientists, data analysts, and management to use.
Broadly speaking, the data engineer profession is responsible for developing, managing, and maintaining an organization’s data infrastructure.
A data engineer must also ensure that the systems and models they create align with the needs of the company and the needs of the teams within it. That’s why a data engineer usually holds a senior role.
Usually, a data engineer begins his career by holding other functions. For example, as a software developer with skills related to data and engineering, a Big Data Specialist Consultant, Data Analyst, and Data Scientist. If so, does that mean it’s only possible for you to have a career as a data engineer if you have a background in these fields?
Fortunately, the answer is no. Even though the data engineer profession itself is still relatively new and has only become a trend in recent years, there are many paths you can choose to become a reliable data engineer. Curious to know how to become a data engineer?
How to Become Data Engineer
1. Majors and Degree
Not to mention experienced data engineers, individuals who want to start their career as data engineers from the entry-level level generally have to have a diploma or degree in related fields of knowledge.
For example, computer science, software engineering, physics, or applied mathematics. In short, this degree or diploma aims as proof that you have finished your education.
It will help you understand the requirement of becoming a Data Engineer, like communication skills, teamwork, and problem-solving.
Then, what if you are studying in an unrelated field or have even graduated?
There’s no need to worry because, nowadays, a degree is not the main requirement for entering a profession in the data field. This is because this field is relatively new, so only a few universities have opened specific study programs.
This allows companies to be more flexible about the educational background of candidates. If the candidate can demonstrate the required skills, the company will most likely accept it.
2. Certification
Let’s go back to the question: what if you don’t have a background in that field? Or what if you need formal education in a related field, as mentioned in the first point above?
Once again, you don’t need to worry because alternative educational paths are feasible for you to choose. You can currently find various certified course programs and bootcamps in data analytics, data science, and data engineering.
Interestingly, there are many choices of programs that anyone can join, even those who don’t have a related background, you know!
Compared to the first option above, certified courses or bootcamps are much more focused and targeted, take less time, and are much more cost-effective.
One of the main reasons is that you can learn and “save up” the relevant skillset that this profession needs simultaneously. You see, courses or bootcamps are more focused on practice, so you won’t spend time just learning theory.
When you choose this path, you can focus on several critical areas in data engineering. For example, Big Data architecture, data analytics, or machine learning. And through certified courses or bootcamps, you will still get fundamental material and essential tools needed by every reliable data engineer, such as SQL and Python.
3. Understanding Programming Languages and Other Skills
First, try to learn the programming language needed by a data engineer. According to Springboard, one of the programming languages that must be mastered by this profession is SQL.
SQL is a programming language used by data engineers to create and manage databases.Apart from that, you also need to be familiar with programming languages such as Python or R for statistical analysis and modeling.
To become a reliable data engineer, you should try the above method!
Programming languages such as SQL, Python, and R need to be learned. However, apart from that, there are several other data engineering skills that you also need to improve.
Launching from the Master’s in Data Science, there are several other types of skills that a data engineer needs to have. Here are some of them:
- Using database architectures
- Understand machine learning
- Find data warehousing solutions
- Create data pipelines
- data mining
- use of cloud platforms
- Understand the scripting language
4. Look for Experiences and Opportunities!
Even though you already have a diploma or degree in a related field of study, you must accept that data engineering is not a role or profession that a fresh graduate can directly hold.
Given that this profession has become a specialized field or discipline, you also need relevant experience to start your career as a data engineer.
When you start your career as a data engineer at the entry-level, you are even asked to have the experience listed in the requirements. However, the “experience” in question is quite broad and does not only mean work experience.
The experience in question may be related to a previous role that you have held and related to data, experience in software development, or as an intern in a particular field.
Even having a personal project portfolio related to data engineering can be an excellent start to demonstrate your experience.