You’re considering a change to become a Data Engineer. Why should you do it? Why shouldn’t you do it? Let’s consider some reasons.
Should
- There is a major shortage of qualified Data Engineers. There is a high demand and low supply of qualified Data Engineers.
- You can make an extra $20,000 to $60,000 per year as a Data Engineer
- Data is changing the way businesses operate
- You become the hub in the wheel where you interact with all parts of the company through your data products
- You can really cross-train on skills that aren’t just programming or put your cross-training to better use. You’ll need to use your analytics, visualization, and verbal communication skills.
- You want to be part of a new field that is growing dramatically
- You have a background in data and distributed systems
- You enjoy working with cutting-edge technologies
- You are a good programmer and program with Java in particular. Other languages like Scala and Python are used, but not as prevalent.
Shouldn’t
- You lack programming skills. Data Engineers are programmers. Other non-programming people like DBAs and analysts are part of a data engineering team, but aren’t Data Engineers.
- You don’t like keeping up on changes. Data engineering is changing and you will need to maintain those skills.
- You don’t want to spend the time to learn the necessary skills. A Data Engineer doesn’t just learn or know one technology; they need 10-30 different ones.
- You don’t find data or creating data products interesting
- Dealing with large-scale systems isn’t interesting or your strong suit
- Big Data is very complex
- Your current company doesn’t have Big Data problems and you don’t want to switch companies
If you’re agreeing with the should section, I encourage you to join my email list to learn more about becoming a Data Engineer. If you’re discouraged by the shouldn’t section, becoming a Data Engineer may not be the best use of your time. Your skills may still translate as part of the data engineering team.