The advancement in technology and the internet has given rise to plenty of new career avenues and growth opportunities. This is why we see many new career paths open up these days. Big Data Engineer is one of these newly devised popular courses that is taking over the mainstream. It is quite trendy and is a great career path to go with.
We here take a look at the Big Data Engineer and procedure to become one in India down below in this post. Read along.
What is Big Data Engineer?
With data engineering staking big growths in recent years, career options like Big Data Engineering, Data Scientist, Data Analyst and more have come into the foray. Big Data Engineering is a branch of the data science study that aims at developing practical applications and skills for data analysis. It is based on the sense of utilizing data science for real-world solutions.
Unlike other streams of engineering that are associated with the creation and innovating, big data engineers are the ones who are more focused on streamlining and developing the systems that will provide a better flow of information to the end-user. Their major roles are to build large data reservoirs for storage and managing them. They need to not only develop, construct but also play a pivotal role in the maintenance of the data storage architecture.
Their contribution helps to make the data accessible for later purposes. Their work forms the basis for further utilization of data by other professionals. Simply put, Big Data Engineers are someone who builds and maintains the data warehouse and pipelines. They need to derive information and meaningful nitpicks from the data to help enhance the business in their decision-making process and effective performance.
Don’t Confuse Big Data Engineer with Data Scientist
Normally people who hail from the data science field understand the difference between the data scientist and big data engineer. But from the outside, people often cannot differentiate the nitpicks between these two which is why many consider both of these to be the same. That in itself is wrong.
A big data engineer and data scientist varies quite a lot. A data scientist is tasked with creating solutions based on the data provided. They adhere to developing enterprise-ready solutions to integrate into the company’s functioning. While big data engineers work more on the creation of data warehouses and managing them so that the data can be used later on by other professionals like data scientists. These two are interlinked with each other but both of these have their specific roles and stand at different podiums.
Roles of a Big Data Engineer
As aforementioned big data engineers have a pivotal role to play when it comes to data management. This section will further look into details on the roles and requirements for a big data engineer.
A big data engineer first and foremost is in charge of the entire design, building, implementing, testing, and keeping the data managed. They need to adhere to the organizational needs and break the grounds for the further analysis of the data so that it becomes easy for other professionals to work on. They are one of the builders who are tasked with the creation of the data systems. Their work is often one of those back-end or behind the scenes kind of if you want to compare to an organized workforce. Here are some of the roles and responsibilities that a big data engineer needs to fulfill:
- Be responsible for the development of the design and the architecture of the data and the software system for data management.
- Provide know-how and expertise on data maintenance and verify the performance.
- Build robust data management system for the processing and ingestion of the data.
- Perform extraction roles in form of extract transform load operation to help extract the data and further load them into the desired system.
- Research, suggest, and improvise new methodology for the data obtaining and the data maintenance whilst also taking care of the data quality.
- Understand the use and implication of various data scripting languages help the organization and the business in making vital decisions.
- Build and efficiently run data architecture as per the demand of the organization in line with their goals.
- Generate structured solutions for the various programming tools and languages to be integrated into the data management.
- Ability to maneuver the data mining process and facilitate it to the other end of the spectrum where it can be further used.
- Work in tandem with the other fields of data science like data scientists, data analysts, and data architects.
The Skillset of Big Data Engineer
Big data engineering is a large field with a need for expertise. This is why anyone looking to become a big data engineer in India should build an efficient skillset to improve their career in this field. There are plenty of skillsets that are vital to big data engineering of which we’ll be talking about in brief down below:
Programming
- Programming is an ever-important field of any technology-based course and big data engineer is something that requires deep know-how of the programming languages. A big data engineer should be able to develop skillsets that will allow them to understand and utilize various programming languages like Java, Python, C++, and more. These are fundamental to the functioning of a big data engineer.
SQL and Database
- Simply minting the programming languages isn’t the only skillset that you need to have as databases and SQL also plays a major role in their career. In-depth knowledge of the DBMS and SQL will help a big data engineer to understand how databases work and will give them the ability to develop databases in the future. Knowing the aspects of SQL queries and other Database Management systems (DBMS) is quite important. You should learn about MySQL, Microsoft SQL Server, and Oracle for the betterment of your career asa big data engineer.
Operating System
- Operating tools are one of the bases for the running and the building of big data tools. Without operating systems, big data tools cannot be built and created. This is why you need to have a strong understanding of the skillset required to handle all types of operating systems like Windows, Linux, Unix, and more.
Data Warehousing
- As a big data engineer, you will be tasked with the Extract Transform Load operations and warehousing of the data. This is one of the major roles to be performed by any big data engineer. This is why knowing to understand the ETL roles and then further utilize the data to construct a data warehouse is vital. As a big data engineer, your role will revolve around using ETL operations and them curating those data into meaningful information to load into the data warehouse.
Apache Spark
- Another major skillset to develop whilst going for the big data engineer is to know the processing frameworks. Apache Spark is one of the processing frameworks used widely by big data engineers across India. This helps to deal with and analyze the large chunks of data with ease. It also allows you to have real-time processing and even a facility for live streaming of the data process.
Hadoop
- Hadoop remains one of the most widely used analytics tools when it comes to big data. As a big data engineer, having the insight to run a Hadoop tool is vital. It allows you to easily conduct your analytics. Make sure to learn the different technologies like HDFS, Apache, Pig, Map Reduce, and more.
Data Mining and Modeling
- Since big data engineering uses data mining and data warehouses, understanding the aspects of data mining is quite important. Ability to understand the data mining and modeling methods will help you to understand the processes and various aspects used in the data trends. This ultimately helps in making the data ready for the final analysis.
How to Become a Big Data Engineer?
Here’s a step by step guide on how to become a big data engineer in India:
Start by Earning your Undergraduate Degree
- The first step is to get an undergraduate degree in the major field. The courses that you can go for include the likes of software engineering, information technology, and computer science. This allows you to understand the aspects of engineering and technology so that you can build a career in big data engineering later on.
Go for any Entry-level job experience
- What better way to enter into the realm of big data engineering than by getting into the practicability of it. Until and unless you venture into the practical aspect of the work, you won’t be able to build on the right attitude and skillset for the job later on. Once you’ve done your major in any of the aforementioned courses, try getting a job in the field. It doesn’t have to be a top-level job as even an entry-level will give you vital knowledge. Put your theoretical knowledge into practice and hone your skills. Learn various aspects of the programming languages and the practical application of them. This work experience will also allow you to know how to solve real-life issues.
Go for Professional Certifications on the side
- Since you already are into the practical job and are building your career, it is time to go for the professional certificates on the side along with your job. This can be a bit tedious but managing it well will give you a resounding career in the data engineering field. Take the professional certification courses from the institutes like Institute of Certified Computing Professional for the degrees like Certified Data Management Professional and more. This will mean you will build your career in a great way. Also look for other certifications like IBM Certified Data Engineer, Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert.
Get a Job in Data Engineer Field
- Once you have had a practical knowledge of the workings of a data engineer and have also learned the professional certificates you can be eligible to go for the roles of a data engineer. Since big data engineering in itself is an expert field, having the capability and nous to tackle that can be a great way to finally break big. Look for the big data engineer roles and with your prior experience and certificates, you can land a good one.
Add a Higher Degree in your Repertoire
- Once you have ventured into a big data engineer role by joining a job the path may seem to have reached its destination. But this is where people separate themselves from the ordinary and escalate themselves into expert levels. Look to develop the appetite for a higher degree and join further courses when possible. Look for a master’s program or any other such course that can help aid in your career growth.
The Future and Scope for Big Data Engineers
Big Data Engineers are one of the major course and career path options for people these days. With the development and the advancement of technology along with the increasing need for data infrastructures, big data engineers look more likely to stay on for years. The salary is also on the rise with more high-paid jobs available for highly skilled big data engineers in India and abroad.
Rahul Kumar is a passionate educator, writer, and subject matter expert in the field of education and professional development. As an author on CoursesXpert, Rahul Kumar’s articles cover a wide range of topics, from various courses, educational and career guidance.
