Where Can Your Data Engineering Career Take You?
Posted April 24th, 2018
Data engineers play a vital role in big data. They are largely responsible for designing and maintaining robust systems to ensure that any collected data is accessible for analysis. But, their responsibilities don’t lie solely in infrastructure. Instead, strong software engineering skills are also required to the creation of complex queries, implementing requests, and cleaning up code.
However, beyond securing a role as a data engineer, many professionals wonder what potential the career path holds. To help you discover where a data engineering career can take you, here’s what you need to know.
Salary Potential
First, it’s important to realize that there is a significant amount of room to achieve higher salaries as a data engineer.
In the San Francisco area, the average base pay for data engineers is over $137,000. However, those new to the field may land salaries closer to $126,000, and those at the top can see their compensation exceed $155,000. This means there is a lot of room to move up even while maintaining the same or a similar job title, depending on your level of experience and the exact nature of your duties.
Additionally, some data engineers are also eligible for bonuses or have access to profit-sharing programs. This can increase the value of the total compensation package, giving you additional room for growth.
Future Positions
Like most IT roles, data engineers may find opportunities at different levels. For example, a data engineer might be an individual contributor while a lead, senior or principal data engineer can have additional responsibilities. There are also supervisory opportunities along the career path, allowing you to begin the transition into management.
In some cases, data engineers can ultimately become data center managers or even reach the C-level within an organization, so there is significant potential for advancement beyond the core data engineering role.
Additionally, the big data landscape is still fairly new, and there may be opportunities to transition into other areas, like data science. Making such a shift can fundamentally change the direction of your career path, giving you access to a different set of opportunities.
Seeking Out Data Engineering Opportunities
Since data has become a critical part of more organizations, opportunities in data engineering are continuing to grow. However, it’s important to realize that there can be some confusion regarding what work falls into data engineering in comparison to data science, analytics, and other allied roles.
This means you need to read each vacancy announcement carefully to determine if the position itself actually involves the tasks you are hoping to perform. Otherwise, if you rely on the listed job title alone, you may discover that a job isn’t actually what you thought it would be.
If you are interested in finding a new data engineering position, the professionals at Bayside Solutions can connect you with some of the area’s leading employers. Contact us to speak with one of our experienced staff members today and see how our services can help you take the next step in your career.
