ZachOverflow

Is Data Engineering An Entry-Level Job?

How new data engineers can find data engineering roles — even with less than 1 year of experience.

ZachOverflow is a recurring column in which I attempt to answer one frequently asked data science question thoroughly and honestly. No oversaturated topics. No listicles. No clickbait. Just my (mostly) unfiltered responses based on professional experience, technical exposure and, yes, the occasional unsubstantiated opinion.

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Pre-data engineering, I had a long and storied career as an entry-level worker, holding titles such as “intern”, “assistant” and “attendant.” Forget having a place at the table or foot in the door; at some workplaces, I barely had a toenail in the door.

I affectionately refer to my data engineering job (pre-promotion), as my first “big boy job.” Previously, I worked part-time jobs or full-time internships with a few freelance writing gigs interspersed.

It’s true that data engineer was my first post-grad school role; my employer was even nice enough not to tag on the “junior” preface, even though I very much was one.

Having been fortunate to benefit from the industry-spanning hiring blitz toward the end of the pandemic, after seeing the current state of the job market…