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Analytics Engineer: Complete Career Guide Updated
If you are a student, beginner, or professional looking to transition into a data career, this guide will provide clarity on what an Analytics Engineer does, the skills you need, a structured roadmap, global courses, entrance tests, and eligibility criteria.
Role & Responsibilities
- Data Modeling in warehouses like Snowflake, BigQuery, Redshift, Azure Synapse.
- Data Transformation: clean, documented, and tested datasets using dbt or Python.
- Collaboration with analysts, finance teams, operations, and product managers.
- Data Quality: automated tests for accuracy and consistency.
- Monitoring & Alerts for anomalies and pipeline failures.
- Compliance with GDPR, CCPA, PDPA, or local privacy laws.
- Documentation for datasets, pipelines, and dashboards.
Core Skills & Tools
- SQL & Database Design: complex queries, joins, window functions, aggregations.
- ETL & Transformation: dbt Core/Cloud, Python, Airflow/Prefect.
- Data Warehouses: BigQuery, Snowflake, Redshift, Azure Synapse.
- Analytics & BI Tools: Tableau, Power BI, Looker.
- Data Quality & Monitoring: Great Expectations, Soda, anomaly detection.
- Version Control: Git/GitHub.
- Soft Skills: communication, problem-solving, documentation, teamwork.
Certifications & Learning Path
- dbt Fundamentals & Advanced Certifications
- Google Cloud Professional Data Engineer
- Snowflake SnowPro Core Certification
- Microsoft Power BI Data Analyst Associate
- Tableau Desktop Specialist / Certified Associate
- Learning Platforms: Coursera, Udemy, DataCamp, LinkedIn Learning, dbt Labs tutorials
Eligibility & Entry Point
- Education: After Class 12 (any stream), or during/after undergraduate degree.
- Entrance Tests: None required for career; SAT/ACT/GRE/JEE may apply for university programs.
- Start Early: After Class 12: foundational courses in SQL, Python, visualization. During undergraduate: internships, projects. After graduation: certifications + projects.
90-Day Roadmap
- Days 1–30: SQL fundamentals, schema design, open dataset projects.
- Days 31–60: Learn dbt, transformations, tests, documentation, Git version control.
- Days 61–90: Build dashboards, add alerts, complete case study portfolio, start applying for internships/jobs.
Portfolio Project Ideas
- Retail Dashboard: revenue & profit by region/product category.
- Customer Retention Cohorts: SQL + dbt analysis.
- Data Quality Automation: tests & anomaly alerts.
- Cloud Comparison: BigQuery vs Snowflake cost & performance.
- End-to-End Case Study: dataset cleaning, dbt transformations, dashboards, documentation.
Publish projects on GitHub or personal website with SQL scripts, dbt models, dashboard screenshots, and documentation.
Global Salary Insights
- United States: $95k – $150k
- Europe: €55k – €95k
- India: ₹8 – ₹22 LPA
- Southeast Asia: Competitive with senior data analysts
Use LinkedIn Salary or Glassdoor for up-to-date local figures.
Recommended Courses Worldwide
Course / Certification | Platform / University | Duration | Fee | Free / Scholarship | Level |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
dbt Fundamentals | dbt Labs | 4–6 weeks | Free | Access Free | Beginner |
Google Cloud Professional Data Engineer | Coursera / Google Cloud | 3 months | $49/month | Financial Aid / Free Trial | Intermediate |
Snowflake SnowPro Core | Snowflake University | 4–6 weeks | $175 | Free Resources | Intermediate |
FAQs
- Do I need a CS degree? No, backgrounds like finance, economics, operations, or bootcamps work.
- Which warehouse to start with? Pick the most common in your region (BigQuery or Snowflake).
- Is this role future-proof? Yes, demand for trustworthy data for BI and AI is increasing.
- At what stage can I start? After Class 12, during undergraduate, or post-graduation.
- Are there entrance tests? No mandatory tests, but university programs may require SAT, GRE, or aptitude tests.
Practical Tips for Students & Beginners
- Start with SQL & Python before warehouses and dbt.
- Always work on projects and maintain a portfolio.
- Use free datasets from Kaggle, Google Cloud, or government portals.
- Join online communities for mentorship and networking.
- Focus on technical + communication/documentation skills.
- Apply for internships early to gain hands-on experience.