Sitemap

Member-only story

So You Want to Become a Data Engineer? Read This First.

4 min readJun 11, 2025

--

Photo by Ludovic Migneault on Unsplash

The hype is real.

Data Engineering is everywhere — in LinkedIn posts, tech bootcamps, career switcher success stories, and job boards filled with six-figure salaries.

Read for free here

It’s tempting. The title sounds powerful. The demand looks high. The paycheck? Even higher.

But let me give you a reality check:
This path is not for the faint of heart.

If you’re thinking about switching to data engineering, there are some hard truths you need to know. This blog isn’t meant to scare you — it’s here to prepare you. Because if you’re going to take the leap, I want you to land on your feet.

💥 Truth #1: The Competition Is Fierce

You’re not the only one eyeing this field. Every day, hundreds of people — from data analysts, backend developers, system engineers, to fresh grads — are all gunning for the same limited number of roles.

The harsh truth?

👉 Entry-level data engineering roles are rare.
👉 Most companies want someone who can hit the ground running — and that means prior experience.

--

--

Nnaemezue Obi-Eyisi
Nnaemezue Obi-Eyisi

Written by Nnaemezue Obi-Eyisi

I am passionate about empowering, educating, and encouraging individuals pursuing a career in data engineering. Currently a Senior Data Engineer at Capgemini

Responses (1)