Data is the new oil with many sides to its exploration.

For this reason, each complicated role is broken down into different fields.

The tricky part is choosing the best fit for you.

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What Does a Data Scientist Do?

The first role of a data scientist is to understand a business problem.

it’s possible for you to only interpret data after you understand the business problem.

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A process that includes defining and refining cleaned data, and selecting features and variables for data mining.

Some aspects of data science require programming, so youll need to be familiar with basic programming languages.

What Does a Data Engineer Do?

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The role of a data engineer is pretty straightforward.

Data extraction is typically done through data pipelines built by data engineers.

One of the ways to pull data is byusing API (system programming interface).

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This way, data collection begins in a streaming fashion or batch process.

It is therefore crucial to understand complex programming languages as a data engineer.

The next step in data engineering is to transform the data to fit your data storage.

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A data engineer builds the backbone and infrastructure used in data science.

Education

A data scientist needs a bachelors degree in data science or a related field to start their career.

However, most employers prefer an individual with a masters degree.

A graduate degree can help you stand out.

Unlike becoming a data scientist, you don’t need a master’s degree in data engineering.

Skills

A data scientist needs to hone different skills peculiar to data science.

Some of these are data visualization, data wrangling, mathematics, and programming.

You need vast knowledge of Python, JavaScript, SQL, and Scala for programming.

Youll need them to create models and algorithms.

They also need soft skills like communication, critical thinking, and collaboration skills.

These ETL tools are very much needed to extract data from various sites.

Salary

According toIndeed, the average base salary for a data scientist is $97,678.

However, these benefits depend on your employer and your level of experience.

These benefits also depend on your employer, experience level, job role, and qualifications.

However, these roles are usually rare.

you might also switch from a data-related role to data engineering.

But youll need 4-5 years of relevant experience to get better jobs as a data engineer.

Career Opportunities

There are rich career opportunities for data scientists based on your experience.

Top-rated companies like Meta, Ford Motor Company, and HP employ the expertise of data scientists.

They will also find opportunities in health, academia, information, and the government.

A data engineer also has career opportunities that widen according to their experience level.

Companies like Netflix, Apple, and Capital need data engineers to assist data scientists.

Data engineers work in large companies and in business-related fields.

They also fit into academia and information and technology; anywhere that requires data handling.

Choosing the Right Career Path for You

Both careers are rich and solid.

They provide maximum exposure and allow you to work with top-rated companies.

However, you oughta do your homework to find the perfect data-related career.