Become a Data Engineer

Learn to build and maintain the infrastructure and architecture for data generation, storage, and processing. This Data Engineer Career Path is your step-by-step roadmap to go from beginner (at any age!) to getting hired as a Data Engineer.

Earn on average $124,997 per year

US salary data collected from Indeed, LinkedIn, and Web3.career 2025.

5 Months

Average time students take to complete this career path.

Rated 4.9 out of 5 on Trustpilot

Your career pathReviewsInstructorsFAQsPricing

Your career path

What You'll Learn

  • Become a top Data Engineer that gets hired this year
  • Focus on building and maintaining the infrastructure and architecture for data generation, storage, and processing
  • Learn about Data Engineering and how tools like Hadoop, Apache Spark, Apache Flink, Airflow, Kafka, and Spark ML are used in the industry
  • Design data pipelines that facilitate the flow of data from various sources to storage systems and learn to build Data Lakes with AWS
  • How to ace all of your interviews, get more job offers and a higher salary
Course
New!
The Data Engineering Bootcamp: Zero to Mastery
14 Hours ·165 Lessons The Data Engineering Bootcamp: Zero to Mastery
Master modern data engineering with Spark, Kafka, Airflow, AWS, and LLMs. Build real-time pipelines, data lakes, and production-grade ML workflows from scratch.
Course DetailsTake the Course
Course
Beginner
Complete SQL + Databases Bootcamp
26 Hours ·293 Lessons Complete SQL + Databases Bootcamp
This SQL Bootcamp will teach you SQL, database management, and database design using real-world exercises working with all database types. No experience needed.
Course DetailsTake the Course
Course
Beginner
Complete Python Developer in 2025: Zero to Mastery
32 Hours ·346 Lessons Complete Python Developer in 2025: Zero to Mastery
Learn Python from scratch, get hired, and have fun along the way with the most modern, up-to-date Python course on the web.
Course DetailsTake the Course
Course
Beginner
The Python Automation Bootcamp (Work Smarter!): Zero to Mastery
22.5 Hours ·150 Lessons The Python Automation Bootcamp (Work Smarter!): Zero to Mastery
Go from absolute beginner to a master at automation. Build fun projects that teach you how to automate your work and life so you can work smarter, not harder! Using tools like Python, GPTs, and more!
Course DetailsTake the Course
Action
Apply To 5 Jobs

Believe it or not, you now have enough skills to start applying to jobs and even get hired! This process usually takes a while and it's good to start even if you don't feel "ready". Apply to 5 jobs online right now and see what happens. You don't even need to "want" these jobs. The goal is to practice applying and practice going through the interview process. Once you finish applying to 5 jobs (you don't need to hear back), move on to the next step in this Career Path.

VIEW LINKEDIN LISTINGS

See whole career path

What ZTM students are saying

Our courses and community have helped 1,000s of Zero To Mastery students go from zero to getting hired to levelling up their skills and advancing their careers to new heights.

Rated 4.9 out of 5 on Trustpilot

    Meet your instructors

    Your Career Path instructors aren’t just experts with years of real-world professional experience. They have been in your shoes. They make learning fun. They make complex topics feel simple. They will motivate you. They will push you. And they go above and beyond to help you succeed.

    Ivan Mushketyk

    Data Engineering & Practical AI

    Andrei Neagoie

    Lead Instructor

    Daniel Bourke

    Machine Learning Instructor

    Diogo Resende

    Data Analytics Instructor

    Still have questions?

    Who is this Data Engineer Career Path for?

    Anyone who wants a clear step-by-step guide to become a Data Engineer from scratch and actually get hired. Oh ya, and you don't want to waste your money on overpriced bootcamps and degrees.

    Also, let's be honest. Some of the topics can be a little dry. So, we're even going to have a bit of fun along the way. No way! Crazy right?!

    This Data Engineer Career Path is perfect for you if:

    • You're a complete beginner (of any age!) and want a full bootcamp curriculum and experience without having to pay $1,000s
    • You don't want to waste your valuable time. You want to learn everything needed to become a Data Engineer in one place
    • You want to build real-world, full-scale projects that will push you, challenge you and make your portfolio and resume stand out
    • You don't want to learn and take this journey alone. You will learn alongside 100s of other students at your same level and 1,000s more that are just a few steps ahead of you
    • You can handle our amazing sense of humour (it's not spelled wrong, we're Canadian... see what we mean... you've been warned)

    And it's definitely for you if you're sick of:

    • Outdated tutorials
    • Free courses and tutorials that don't go beyond the basics
    • Learning topics and concepts that are mostly irrelevant in the real-world and don't even get asked in interviews
    • Courses with no community or support system
    • Tutorial hell
    • Feeling like you're going in circles with no clear path or end in sight

    Let's be 100% clear. You aren't going to do 100 coding challenges or 50 projects or learn topics that aren't going to get you hired or even be used in the real-world. That's a waste of your time.

    The sooner you get hired, the sooner you'll be learning more than you can from any course. That's our goal.

    Why become a Data Engineer?

    Everyone has their own reason(s) as to why they want to become a Data Engineer. But here are a few of the best reasons:

    1. Lots of jobs available. Data Engineering is one of the hottest, most in-demand tech roles right now. In fact, over 20,000 new Data Engineering jobs were created last year alone, pushing total job openings in North America to approximately 150,000 - a clear sign of an industry that's gaining serious momentum.
    2. High demand = High salary. The earning potential for Data Engineers is huge. U.S. professionals in this field enjoy average base salaries that start at $80,000–$110,000 for entry-level roles and can scale up to $190,000–$200,000+ for senior-level positions.
    3. No degree required. It's very possible to get hired as a Data Engineer without having any college degree.
    4. Work remotely. You can find Data Engineering jobs that are remote. Work from the comfort of your own home, a coffee shop or even while travelling the world. Some roles even allow you to work on your own schedule.
    5. It's fun. And rewarding. You get to have a real-world impact. The work you're doing on a daily basis can have a huge impact on hundreds, thousands, or even millions of people.

    What makes Data Engineering even more attractive is the strategic role it plays in modern tech. Data Engineers are the backbone behind AI systems, machine learning models, and analytics platforms, making them absolutely vital to development of modern products and continuous innovation.

    That means as the AI industry continues to explode, Data Engineering will explode alongside it.

    How long does it take to become a Data Engineer (and complete this Career Path)?

    Everyone is different. So it's hard to give a specific amount of time. The two biggest variables are the number of hours per week you're dedicating to completing the steps in the Career Path and your current experience level.

    Don't hold us to it but here's a rough guideline based on feedback we've received from past ZTM students on how long it takes to become a Data Engineer:

    1. 20-40 hours a week = 4-6 months. Students who have started from scratch as complete beginners (no matter their age!) and spend a few hours per day.
    2. 40-80 hours a week = 2-3 months. Students who are able to learn basically full-time and/or already have some experience (ie: already know Python & SQL).
    3. 0-10 hours a week = 7-12+ months. Students from all experience levels but are only able to dedicate a few hours a week.

    What’s the ZTM Discord community and how can it help me?

    The ZTM Discord is our exclusive online community for ZTM students, alumni, TAs and instructors.

    How it helps you, short version: Increase the chances that ZTM students achieve their current goals and help them continue to grow throughout their career.

    Longer version: Learning alone is hard. We've all been there. We've all tried to learn new skills and struggled. It can be frustrating, daunting, and just plain challenging, especially if you're trying to change careers.

    We feel strongly that the Zero To Mastery Discord community is an essential part of the learning experience and greatly increases the chances for students to achieve their goals.

    It's crazy to think that Colleges and Coding Bootcamps charge you tens of thousands of dollars to provide you with this type of experience. It doesn't have to be that way!

    In fact, ~20% of ZTM students are also enrolled at a College or in-person Coding Bootcamp but feel like they just aren't getting all of the skills and support they need. But with ZTM, they do.

    Within the Zero To Mastery Discord community, you can:

    • Connect with other Developers, Engineers, Data Scientists, Designers
    • Form study groups and complete ZTM Career Paths and Courses together
    • Ask questions and get advice from other people at your same level as well as more experienced professionals
    • Get feedback on projects
    • Meet other students around the world (and likely even someone from your hometown!)
    • Learn how to answer questions and help other students which will accelerate your own learning
    • Get help from others with questions and exercises
    • Work on coding challenges and real-world open-source projects with other students

    It’s pretty awesome to see many ZTM alumni also active every single day, continuing to engage with the community, give back, and level up their own skills and career.

    Are there any prerequisites for this Career Path?

    A computer (Windows/Mac/Linux) and access to the internet. That's it! No previous experience is needed.

    If you haven't already, take our tech career path quiz. We'll give you our recommendation for which path is the best fit for you.

    How is a Career Path different from a course?

    Career Paths are like a full College curriculum. Our Career Paths give you the exact courses, workshops, challenges, articles and actions to take to go from absolute beginner to getting hired.

    Career Paths start with ensuring you know the foundations from scratch. But they go far beyond by teaching you advanced topics and non-technical skills that are essential for your career but aren't taught in Computer Science Degrees or Coding Bootcamps.

    Courses are more focused. Different courses have different goals. Some courses are a great fit for experienced Developers, Engineers and Programmers who want to level-up their skills in a specific topic or framework. Other courses cover a wider range of topics teaching the foundations and fundamentals for beginners.

    Can I change my Career Path?

    Yes. You can change your Career Path anytime. As a member of Zero To Mastery, you have unlimited access to all ZTM courses, workshops, challenges, articles and other materials needed to complete any of the ZTM Career Paths.

    Invest in a better you. For less than a coffee a day.

    Choose your currency:
    $ USD • US Dollar
    Risk Free Pricing

    100% Risk Free

    We know you'll love ZTM. That's why we provide a no-hassle, 30-day money-back guarantee.

    Convince Your Boss

    CONVINCE YOUR BOSS TO PAY

    If you’re looking to up skill then you should 100% get your employer to cover the cost of training.

    Teams

    Need a Team License?

    With a team license, you can buy a number of spots to allocate to employees.

    MOST POPULAR

    PRO PLAN

    Pay yearly
    Pay monthly
    $25 / month

    Paid yearly at $299$588/y49% OFF

    Get Annual Plan

    You're committed to getting hired or upgrading your career in tech

    Unlimited access to all ZTM content
    Private Discord with 500,000+ members
    Private LinkedIn networking group
    Career Advice sessions with Mentors
    Custom ZTM course certificates
    Access to ZTM Passport
    Priority Support

    Lifetime PLAN

    $1,299
    Only pay once, ever
    Get Lifetime Access

    You're serious about advancing your career and maximizing your salary

    All  PRO  benefits included
    Never worry about staying up to date with the industry again, for life. You'll get access to all ZTM PRO features and future courses for life.