Data Engineer vs Data Analyst | Which Is Right For You?

In this video we discuss the differences between a Data Engineer and a Data Analyst. There is actually quite of bit of overlap in terms of skills for these two positions. Hopefully this will help you determine which job is right for you!
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Tableau Data Visualization - coursera.pxf.io/MXYqaN
Udemy Courses:
Python for Data Analysis and Visualization- bit.ly/3hhX4LX
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Tableau A-Z - bit.ly/385lYvN
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All opinions or statements in this video are my own and do not reflect the opinion of the company I work for or have ever worked for

[@melodylewis3275]

Thank you for posting this! I might be starting my career as a data engineer and this clarified what I might be doing at my new job :)

[@AlexTheAnalyst]

That’s super cool! Glad to hear it! Good luck in your (hopefully) new job 😁

[@asadon1950]

This helped so much! The number of job descriptions that put all the skills for both down as just a data analyst position will really grind my gears now.

[@AlexTheAnalyst]

As it should! Glad it helped! 😁

[@wanderingwithyanvlogs]

Thanks for this! This was super clear and well put together

[@Michael.storen]

Well this confirmed I dont want to be a data engineer.

[@muhammadariowinaya6753]

Why?

[@AntJK2008]

Thanks for the video Alex. Helps me validate my choice to take some part-time courses in the Data Analyst domain to upgrade my skills and find a job as a Data Analyst. I’ve been doing some of that type of work in BA and Admin roles I’ve held in the past. Cheers, Antony

[@AlexTheAnalyst]

You're very welcome! I wish you the best of luck!

[@This_z_Bindu]

Thanks for the video Alex😊👍

[@gianniprocida3332]

Thank you for this video ! You really helped me to clear things up for me

[@Lori_C]

Before this video even starts, I want to thank you for making it. I’ve been following your channel and found it really informative but then learned about data engineering as a career path and feel it would suit me much better and have been desperately looking for more resources about it. I already work with data and have been trying to pick up the right skills to go for data analyst positions but now want to pursue data engineering- I’m just trying to figure out how! So thank you and I would love if you could explore this area further.

[@AlexTheAnalyst]

That’s super cool! I’m glad you found something that works for you. So glad my channel has been helpful for you in your journey 😁

[@tatiana7278]

Great content! Wow. Straight to the point and brief. Thank you

[@AlexTheAnalyst]

Thank you! That's definitely my style! Haha unless it's my ATA Show which is my longer form content

[@jackiewhee]

Thank you so much for this video and all the helpful replies in the comments. It really helped me a lot to decide what I should focus on now.

[@vinitransubhe6794]

Thank you so much for video & making us aware of the data world. I have career in Data world for last 12 years. I can very well relate that how skill sets carries the stream in Data.

[@TheCazz10]

Great info, thanks and Merry Christmas!

[@AlexTheAnalyst]

Merry Christmas to you too!

[@imt3206]

Dude, you're fucking awesome. Thanks to you I can get to know a lot of the data industry and a lot about what career is the best fit for me. Thank you. New subscriber.

[@AlexTheAnalyst]

Haha super glad to hear it! Thanks for watching! 😁

[@rrahll]

Thanks mate, it was helpful )

[@ninamncube4476]

Great video, very clear and concise

[@moonyaco]

Thank you for this video. Before watching this, I had a call asking me about my understanding of the data analyst and data engineer role. I knew nothing about the data engineer role and the hiring company was mostly concerned about how good I am at SQL and Python. Since I was still trying to get my feet wet through an entry level data analyst job, I am still learning Python through online videos. I was surprised that they only had a data engineer position available and did not mind that I had a commerce degree instead of the a data/statistics/math related one. After watching this video, I'm pretty sure, as someone who has only gone through courses related to data analysis, data engineers are definitely require a whole lot more training before they can get hired relative to a data analyst.

[@assiat6695]

very helpful , thanks Alex

[@mattiapancin3926]

Thanks. Your contents are super relevant !! ciao😄

[@AlexTheAnalyst]

You’re very welcome! Thanks for watching! 😁

[@mahdiamjadi1887]

thanks alex it's so useful video

[@loveisriveroflifemystic9887]

A Clear and Neat presentation 👌

[@AlexTheAnalyst]

Thank you! And thanks for watching 😁

[@fartinmartin5]

Interesting, I like these analyst vs videos, but in my experience as an data analyst, you tend to end up getting roped into aspects of all of the above, business analyst, data scientist, and data engineer

[@handsomelok]

Thank you for your video, it has been very helpful keep up the good work

[@Gamezone_Bike]

Thank you for this video ❤️ help full

[@AlexTheAnalyst]

You're very welcome Manish!

[@yishaktaye1951]

Thank you sir for your video....I find this and the other videos you talk about interview questions are very helpful....I have been thought most of the data analytics tools...I have applied on some data analytics jobs but have not got a chance for interview...I would appreciate if you share us your experience on job search or creating network with recruiters. Thank you sir..

[@AlexTheAnalyst]

Hey Yishak! I do have 2 videos that may be helpful to you - one is specifically on working with recruiters. Another is how to find a job on LinkedIn. Hope those help!

[@JoseReyes-sd7pr]

Hey Alex! Awesome video! Do you know of any updates on the Google Career Certificate (Data Analyst Track)? Any info would be appreciated. =)

[@MariaSantos-uk1go]

Hey Alex, just starting following your channel today and I've enjoying your videos a lot. I'm graduating from my Bachelors in Physics in June and I like programming a lot, I have learnt for the past 3 years. I also found myself archiving very good results when working with data and "treating" it. I'm looking for a job before I move on with a higher degree and I find myself between Software Development and Data Analytics. My fear is that working in Data Analytics I start to lose my developer side that I like so much. Anyways, what job would you say that it would be a good marriage between my scientist side and my developer side? Thank you and I'm sorry if this question is too specific :D

[@AlexTheAnalyst]

Data Scientist will probably be a good mend of those skill sets. I can't think of much else that would combine those together haha and so glad to hear you're enjoying the channel! :D

[@MariaSantos-uk1go]

@@AlexTheAnalyst thank you for the reply! Do you think it is possible for me to start as data analyst and then become a data sciencist? I currently have good skills for the first one and I can't afford a Master's right now and all the job searches I've been doing here in Portugal require a Master's for data science.

[@The_Original_Hybrid]

@@MariaSantos-uk1go Have you seen the online master's degrees in DS from Georgia Tech and UT Austin? Both programs are ~$10K.

[@junior91913]

Hi Alex I'm a big fan of your videos now I'm taking your data analyst bootcamp course on KZbin and already fall in love with this course. I have one doubt doing data analyst job for 2 years and then shift to data engineering job did that previous 2 years experience in D.A count in D.E ?

[@sbd8825]

thank you so much

[@equiwave80]

Can't believe it... Amazing coincidence. ... I was just completing a udemy course for the DP-900 Data Fundamentals exam preparation. This was discussed briefly... Difference between a Data Engineer and Data Analyst!!! Thanks for the video 👍

[@AlexTheAnalyst]

Haha great minds think alike 😁

[@applepeel1662]

Hi Alex love your videos. I have a business undergraduate and am planning to get into business analytics. However, as I have a 3 year degree and to get into analytics programs, I have to do a MBA of sorts So is it better to get all these degrees or will knowledge from the internet be enough?

[@AlexTheAnalyst]

If you have any experience with your business degree and you can learn all of the data analyst skills on your own, I think that’s a great route to go. If nothing else you can learn in your free time and see if you’re learning quickly or if you think you’ll need to go back to school to really invest your time.

[@mercantilism954]

In my understanding, Data engineer is more like a software engineer focusing on database. It requires many technical skills. In term of number of jobs available, data engineering outweighs over data scientist and data analyst and also pays better. It’ s easier to transfer to a software engineer. I have no interest in data engineering but if data engineering is a better option, I might need to consider that.

[@AfrooBlack]

The pay is by far better and you know why? Nobody has no clue what a data engineer does so they don't purse it. Data scientists are now considered luxury roles. Not really needed. My company has about 20-30 data scientist but they rarely receive work. Our clients rarely needs there services. We're hiring 2-3 data engineers every SINGLE WEEK. I was one of those data engineers hired about 5 weeks ago. So right now I make 100k+. The company is in NY but I live in ATL.(NY pay no joke)

[@_DOSS]

@@AfrooBlack Do you have IT background? If so, what is it?

[@kristenk708]

@@AfrooBlack I am and a data analyst but want to work towards data engineer. What are the skills for that and what should I focus on?

[@torontonian77]

@@kristenk708 you should master Python and SQL. Learn everything you can about ETL and Data Warehousing (read the book by Kimball). You should get at least one cloud certification, whether AWS, Azure, or GCP. That's a start.

[@davisonyeoguzoro9232]

​@@AfrooBlack ​ How do I get started please?

[@kapuriaritik]

Hey Alex, great video! Does a Data Engineering position typically require experience? I can see many Data Analyst / Scientist job openings for new grads but fewer openings for Data Engineering.

[@AlexTheAnalyst]

There are some entry level/junior jobs, but not many. A lot require experience from what I’ve seen. Probably more so than Data Analysts.

[@johnjacoby6457]

@@AlexTheAnalyst I see more entry-level jobs titled things like "database developer." Is that another good entry point for data engineers?

[@AlexTheAnalyst]

@@johnjacoby6457 yes! That’s a great alternative!

[@lams8415]

Hey Alex, hope your well. I am currently an undergrad HEALTH information management student and will graduate in a couple of months. Interested in become a healthcare data analyst. I know I have to lear SQL, r studio, python and sort but do I need to know a lot of math? No very good at that. Thank you!

[@raal6766]

Hey Alex, thank you for your content. Currently I’m looking into switching careers and start in a wider field with more opportunities, I was introduced by somebody a Data Scientist boot camp , I would like to know your thoughts about this? is this worth it ? I do not have any experience in SQL, phyton, or in any of this field , however, I’m a quick learner . I have experience collecting data as past jobs in a junior engineer position . but not too much experience, I have seen job postings for data analysts and data scientist that they requieres specific engineering’s, What are the odds of getting a job after doing a high intensive boot camp of 4 months ? Thank you

[@AlexTheAnalyst]

I think it can definitely be a possibility, but it depends a lot on the bootcamp as well as the industry you're going into. I think that you definitely could make it happen.

[@jralz4620]

​@@AlexTheAnalyst What makes a good bootcamp good? :) so I can see if the one that Im thinking about it is worth it or no haha

[@charlesgrace2611]

I'm currently finishing up a data analyst track, but after watching this video I'm more curious about data engineering. Is there a minimum I can learn in data engineering (in Python and Azure in particular) as an aspiring analyst that can make me fit for a minor role as an engineer and is that practical, more lucrative for me, and/or more attractive to prospective employers? Love this channel btw, you have been a HUGE help for someone like me with NO previous technical ability.

[@AlexTheAnalyst]

Super glad to hear that! I think the best thing to do is to take some courses on data engineering in your free time. You'll learn plenty of things that you can still apply to your DA work. Learning more advanced SQL or learning SSIS (ETL tool) will help you in a DA job too for example.

[@ibraheemkhan3665]

How smooth is the transition from being a data analyst to a data engineer?

[@mohamedshams9347]

thanks much alex for this informations , i have a small question if you can help me with it please , i am doing a career shift as a fresh graduated civil engineering to data science and i was confused about which field would be better for me to become a data engineer or data analyst, which one would be easier for me to go with and would be better in the feature as someone who would start from scratch. any advice would be appreciated. thanks much

[@manikanthp2572]

Hi Alex, tanks for providing your expertise and information on these carriers. Could you please share good books for Data Analytics?

[@AlexTheAnalyst]

Here are the only 2 books I read on analytics I actually liked: Python for Data Analysis Book - amzn.to/3dDneGq SQL Beginner's Guide to Managing and Analyzing With SQL Book - amzn.to/2X5341B

[@okaforchinyerematthew1937]

Hello Alex, i Just stumble upon your channel, thanks for the video you put up, Please what would you recommend for someone who has intermediate knowledge of SQL? thanks in anticipation for your honest reply.

[@danielsampedrorosello9313]

every day I'm more sure that I wanna be a data analyst😂 btw next year when I finish the big data master I will have to decide😬😳

[@extrov1]

thanx a lot for the full description .. i'm a computer engineer at the time certification in marketing from edexcel , can i attend course in data analytics and work in that field or data engineer is more appropriate...need ur advice .. thanks and regards

[@shibayamatomoki8430]

Someone once said a Data Engineer is (in the simplest, layman, nutshell description): "Half data scientist, half software engineer (or analyst/developer)." I wonder how much of that is still true?

[@AfrooBlack]

Yes that's kinda true. I'm a jr. data engineer and i would say we kind code a lot. But honestly Devops knowledge will start becoming required later in the future I think.

[@arcaneknight9799]

Nice! Mosh said that Python Programmers with experience can make $115K in the US on average. Thoughts?

[@AlexTheAnalyst]

It’s definitely possible in certain industries! I don’t know if that’s the average, but definitely achievable.

[@jesso6670]

Hai, I did a project in my course with team. We collect data from different websites and saved into our pub/sub in gcp from there we use kubernetiecs to activate our process to collect data everyweek one specific day. Once data come to pub /sub using big query we clean data and analyze data ml. And visualize using Java script on another website. Basically I designed the cloud system did api to call data to the pub sub. So am I a data engineer

[@mayurnarayan1]

Here in India some companies expect a data analyst to know ETL , data warehousing i.e data engineering stuff

[@marinanoshy5347]

thank you

[@romansorokin2747]

I love your videos and description. However weather I was an Analyst and Engineer, I have never ever got asked about my degree during an interview. Just fyi, I have a GED.

[@CJ-fh5xq]

I know Data Scientist is a hot field right now. Is there more job postings for being a Data Scientist versus a Data Engineer?

[@Nathan00at78Uuiu]

i saw you covered career foundry for Data Analyst program. do you have a boot camp recommendation for becoming a data engineer?

[@AbcDef-ei6oc]

Great video. Would you recommend someone with no degree in IT to have internship as data analyst? And what r the steps for getting that intern role?

[@AlexTheAnalyst]

Depends on the kind of IT experience you have, but I think if you have the right skill sets you may be able to get an entry level job instead of starting at an internship level. Either will help a lot though! To get an internship or entry level job I would try to look on LinkedIn as well as talking with recruiters.

[@ar_kn]

The explaination was very clear🤍

[@LUCAS-lu1ii]

Hi Alex, is it possible to switch career from data analyst to data engineer?

[@JJ_TheGreat]

So what is the difference between a data engineer and a data scientist? I am surprised you didn't compare all 3 in one video.

[@sh0kwerm]

Do you have any thoughts the BS in Data Analytics and Data Management from WGU ?

[@Ali-bk1hr]

Im starting a data engineeer course and part of the syllabus is data visualization. Do data engineers use tableau etc?

[@sonicbroom8522]

So would a career path be Data Analyst -> Engineer -> Scientist?

[@andreasgamer6805]

I have some questions. Im a little confused about the difference between data scientist and data analyst. So if you can to explain me. And another question is about how easy is to change your role from data analyst to data engineer or the opposite.

[@icelerate8141]

I prefer Data Scientist and Data Analyst compared to Data Engineer. Not sure what I prefer between Data Scientist and Data Analyst though. Due to that, I am aiming to eventually master skills from both.

[@nemuelpaiva3738]

i am in the same path but it is hard to get a data analyst role and I heard that a data engineer pays more. i like data analyst and scientist tho.

[@icelerate8141]

@@nemuelpaiva3738 Is it hard to get a data analyst role compared to data scientist or data engineer or both?

[@nemuelpaiva3738]

@@icelerate8141 lol I do not know that my friend I am just looking for an entry data analyst role right now since I graduate in May but it is very competitive because nowadays entry levels jobs= have 3+ years of experience. what I do know because of his channel is that to become a DS you will need to have a master's degree. I stick to my decision to become a data analyst because, at the end of this video, he mentioned that DA is more like an entry-level and it kinda fits my personality as well.

[@darshanpatel5980]

Hey alex is it possible to pivot from data analytics to data engineering?

[@antigravityfrequencies7416]

You're up super early 🤓

[@AlexTheAnalyst]

Haha I’ve been up since 4:30am - kids always gave me up early lol

[@s.h5836]

Can you do a video on analytics engineer?

[@bhadribhadri4779]

I am from bcom background Can u suggest one ? i am confusing on choosing of two these jobs of data engineer or data analyst

[@Rajomega1]

I have bachelors degreee in mechanical and what should i do to become either one of this position?

[@Dineshsharma-ec6ys]

I m from computer background but don't have domain knowledge like finance, economics so should I go for data engineer.?

[@AlexTheAnalyst]

If you like databases and building data pipelines I say go for it! Definitely a tech heavy position.

[@harshavardhannayaka6257]

Which can be considered as entry level? Data analyst or engineer

[@willownot]

hello, I'm starting in data engineering, is it possible to create a startup/company, so I can earn more? I see salaries from 100 to 180k as an entrepreneur it would be possible to reach 250,350k??

[@blackmyth208]

I'm a civil engineer with python tableau and sql experience. What else do I need to add to become a data engineer? Thanks.

[@AfrooBlack]

SQL, ETL fundamentals, ADF and databricks. Learn these and you'll be soooo marketable. I'm a jr. data engineer and not gonna lie, it's tough depending on the company you work for but worth it. My co-worker makes 210k in NY as a data engineer and I see why. Dudes a monster when talking with these clients.

[@blackmyth208]

@@AfrooBlack you're out there with the sharks and wolves. Thank you for this! Now I have a guide. Seems a lot of videos take forever to get to the point.

[@AfrooBlack]

@@blackmyth208 Honestly since you have SQL experience things will be easy for you. If your good with joins and using stored producers then don't worry. The big gains where you'll need to learn is data factory and building pipelines. There so many tools you can use but ADF is what a lot of company's use so try and get familiar with it. Then Databricks would be next. Understanding spark will be sooo helpful as well. Working with a few clients lots of them use scala so if you can get familiar with it then u'd be a beast. Data engineer on our team don't even touch anything with scala, they only use python and sql which is okay too. Money is 100%%%%% worth it. Gonna quit December tho and take a offer as a sql developer. There's levels to becoming a data engineer. I got 4 certs and a company hired me as a jr. DE and i realized wtf did I just do. Working as a SQL Dev, or ETL Dev, or even a data analyst are the small steps i'd need to take to be a real good data engineer instead of just jumping to the role.

[@blackmyth208]

@@AfrooBlack this is awesome! Thanks bro I really appreciate it truly.

[@Aiu-sama]

@@AfrooBlack would u recommend to become a data analyst first and then data engineer, if so how smooth is the transition?

[@sephiroth7818]

I'm a Data analyst, engineer, and scientist...

[@arockiachristopher604]

Hey alex, can a data analyst with 2 yrs experience become a data engineer?

[@AlexTheAnalyst]

Depends on what the analyst is working on and what tools they use. If you're working mostly on visualizations I would say no, but if you're working mostly on the ETL side it may be possible!

[@JoanC412]

Is data engineering really hard to do?

[@ALZulas]

What the heck is a DataOps engineer??? I've seen it while looking for jobs, and I'm not sure what it is.

[@Mohamed-Hassanin]

Which of them have bright future

[@TheInternetFan]

isn't it "Kafka" ? without the H? 4:39

[@jonathannali7682]

I am a little confused. What I understand and know is that a Data Analyst's work can shape/determine the future of a company by finding trends and predicting behavior. So then why does a Data Engineer earn more? Secondly, which of these two is more likely to head towards MD or CEO of a company?

[@AlexTheAnalyst]

It definitely can, but data engineers typically require more technical skills and education. This leads to higher pay. I think a data analyst is more likely simply due to the critical thinking and problem solving skills.

[@JackLiuSuperHuskies]

Alex, Khafka is misspelt

[@cricbuzz_SG]

Please share anyone data analytics syllabus.

[@manu93ize]

U should colab with code basics

[@AlexTheAnalyst]

Haha speaking of... be on the lookout for a live stream with him on the 10th of next month 😁

[@VITORB82]

Data Engineering for me.

[@DylanOkyere]

is this a repost?

[@AlexTheAnalyst]

I don’t think so haha

[@shivamsingh-mm2oc]

Sir which is future proof (for upcoming 20 years )

[@sonoffire4978]

Both

[@rudroroy1054]

Is Java really required for data engineer jobs 🤔🤔

[@AlexTheAnalyst]

For some positions yes and for others no

[@pierrepucheu]

Degrees are NOT necessary and don’t matter for these roles.

[@gunix28]

If your end goal is Data Engineer should you start with Data Analyst role?

[@reslisalam7086]

Hey same question...u found any answers for the same?

[@gunix28]

@@reslisalam7086 not yet!

[@alex_di_plaris]

Interesting. My only remark…please speak a wee bit slower…there is no rush!😊

[@adoniskomplex91]

I always thought that the engineer also cleanses the data.

[@AlexTheAnalyst]

The do - that is often part of the ETL process

[@adoniskomplex91]

@@AlexTheAnalyst So it's done by the engineer or the scientist.

[@overlord7096]

Data scientist tops both of them 😂😂

[@zergenzerg6853]

Jr Data Engineer underpaid compared to software engineer. Thanks, but not worth it

[@jimslyrics8071]

Give me job that don’t need coding

[@AfrooBlack]

You'll have the best success in finding a high paying IT job that requires coding. You should be saying "find me a IT job that doesn't require much coding".

[@im4485]

Data volcano is the worst.