How do I become a data engineer?

Shankar Jha
2 min readJul 6, 2023

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Data Engineering is a large and diverse field, and there isn’t a single straightforward way to become an expert in it. However, there are some essential skills that are important to have when entering the field of data engineering, regardless of whether you are new or experienced.

For inexperienced individuals/Freshers: If you are new to data engineering and have no prior knowledge, it will not be easy to directly dive into data engineering. It is necessary first to acquire these skills:

  1. SQL
  2. Python Programming language
  3. Data Analytics
  4. Familiarize yourself with basic data manipulation using tools like Pandas or other similar software.

There is no need to immediately delve into buzzwords such as data warehousing and data pipeline. Begin by developing a fundamental understanding of data using tools like SQL and Pandas. If you need assistance in getting started, feel free to contact me, and I will provide some helpful resources.

For experienced professionals: If you are already working in another domain but wish to transition into data engineering, it is crucial to master the following skills:

  1. SQL
  2. Data Analytics
  3. Data visualization
  4. Data pipelines
  5. Data Modelling
  6. Data Warehouse

Having proficiency in any programming language will be beneficial, with Python being a preferred choice due to its expanding ecosystem of packages and libraries.

For both experienced and Freshers:

Once you have a grasp of programming language basics and SQL, you can explore various specializations within data engineering. These include:

1) Cloud Data Engineering with platforms like AWS, Azure, or GCP.
2) Databricks
3) Snowflake
4) Salesforce, which offers new cloud features for data engineering.

Data engineering involves working with a variety of tools, such as cloud platforms, proprietary software, or in-house tools. There is no one direct path to learning data engineering.

To summarize, it is important to have proficiency in Python, SQL, and at least one cloud technology to excel in the field of data engineering.

It’s worth noting that learning is a continuous process, and nobody can claim to have all the knowledge or be perfect. Start learning and apply your knowledge in real-world scenarios.

Happy learning!

Feel free to contact me or follow me for more information like this.

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Shankar Jha

Shankar Jha is an experienced principal data engineer with over 6+ years of expertise in backend development, data engineering and technical writing