Can a Software Engineer Become a Data Engineer?

When the tech industry is discussed, it’s data that is discussed. Data is the only thing that matters. Now that every company is going to become a tech company, data is considered ‘gold’ these days.

Data analytics jobs can be found in every organization, across every industry, regardless of the type and size of the company. Software engineers are now looking forward to becoming Data Engineers. Below are mentioned some stats to ensure you that taking a data engineer course can be one of the smartest moves to transition your career from software development to data engineering.

Smart Facts:

• As per a report by Global Industry Analytics Inc., the worldwide Big Data Engineering market is anticipated to grow from USD 130.7 bn in 2020 to USD 234.6 bn by the year 2025, which is a CAGR of around 10.2%
• According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, around 11.5 million job openings are expected for data science and analytics job roles
• The Dice 2020 report states that the year-on-year growth for data engineering positions is projected at a whopping 50%
• Data Engineers are in demand everywhere. Even the most prominent companies are looking for Data Engineers such as Walmart, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Google, etc. Currently, there are more than 39000 data engineer jobs available on LinkedIn
• The past year has seen a massive 40% increase in the number of data engineering interviews

After going through the stats, it is clear that a career in Data Engineering can be rewarding and lucrative. Cut it short, as long as there is data, there will be a demand for data engineers across the world. 

Let’s look at what a data engineer is and the way you can transition your career from software development to data engineering.

What is a Data Engineer?

Data Engineering is the practice of designing and developing systems intended to collect, store and analyze data at scale. Data Engineering finds its applications across every industry. 

Data Engineers typically work within different settings to develop systems that can collect, maintain, and transform raw data into actionable information that can be used by business analysts and data scientists to interpret. The final objective of a Data Engineer is to make data accessible and usable such that it can be used to evaluate and optimize performance. 

Some of the common tasks that a Data Engineer has to do are:

• Obtain datasets that are aligned with business requirements
• Construct algorithms that can transform data into actionable and usable information
• Develop, test, and maintain architectures for database pipelines
• Design new data visualization procedures and data analysis tools
• Interact with management teams to understand the goals of the company
• Make sure that the security policies are compliant with data governance procedures

Also Read: How To Choose Best Vue.js Developer?

Software Development Vs Data Engineering

The current tech landscape has a lot to do with cloud computing. Businesses now don’t refrain from adopting cloud services for serving various purposes. With fast collaboration and real-time data management, business processes are easily simplified and streamlined with cloud computing. 

Both software engineers and data engineers have to be proficient in utilizing cloud services. Both of these fields require similar skill sets, but the way these skills are applied differs significantly. While software developers are greatly involved in coding, data engineers build structures for maintaining huge data sets. A data engineer has to build a data structure to enable digital transformation related to machine learning and artificial intelligence. 

How to transition your career from software development to data engineering?

It is not difficult to transition your career from software development to data engineering as a software engineer possesses a strong background in coding. To become a data engineer, you are required to acquire the capability of collecting, querying, and storing information from databases. Some of the tips to transition your career are:

Develop the skills for identifying patterns

Data engineering has everything to do with data. You have to keep playing with data to identify hidden patterns and look for new and innovative ways to build complex systems that can be accessible to others. 

Keep yourself updated with trends

Data-centered jobs require you to stay updated with data. Since analytics is a dynamic domain, data engineers have to consistently upskill themselves so that they can work smoothly with data analysts, scientists, and other data professionals. Trends in some techniques such as AI and ML for automating processes. These tools can ease data management and data security that are compliant with each other. It may be difficult to unlearn old things and still keep up with popular languages such as Python. You have to upskill yourself and keep updated with algorithm designing, machine learning, as well as domain knowledge. With technology evolving at an unimaginable faster rate, as a data engineer, you have to be quick in learning and adopting new tools.

Improve your communication skills

As a data engineer, you have to collaborate with colleagues, data analysts, scientists, and other data workers. Also, you might be required to interact with people who don’t possess technical expertise. So you should develop excellent verbal and written communication skills in order to communicate your thoughts and findings in a format that is understandable to everyone. This will make sure that you are capable of developing and implementing systems that are accessible to others. 

Conclusion: Can Software Engineer Become Data Engineer?

Many professionals involved in software development wish to become data engineers in this data-centric world. Since everything now relies on data, becoming a data engineer can be a smart decision.

There are many online resources that can help you develop and streamline your career in this domain. As in Simplilearn, you will find all the support for making your career in Data Engineering. It covers all the tools and coding languages that you need to master to skyrocket your career as a Data Engineer. Also, Simplilearn’s Job Assist program will enable you to land the career of your dreams. Self-paced learning, instructor-led sessions by industry experts, real-life projects, and hands-on practice make this course worth giving a try.