180-Day Roadmap: Data Engineer

Month 1: Strengthening the Founda on (Days 1-30)

Week 1-2: Python and SQL Enhancement

 Goal: Advance your exis ng Python skills with a focus on data engineering applica ons

 Skills to acquire: Python for data processing, advanced SQL, data structures, algorithms

 Free resources:

 Google Cloud's data engineering training modules1

 DataCamp's "Data Engineering for Everyone" introductory course3

 Advanced SQL tutorials on pla orms like Mode Analy cs or SQLZoo

Week 3-4: Data Modeling and Database Fundamentals

 Goal: Establish strong understanding of data modeling concepts and database architecture

 Skills to acquire: Data normaliza on, schema design, database op miza on

 Free resources:

 Kimball's "The Data Warehouse Toolkit" (available through GitHub)1

 Database design courses on Khan Academy or YouTube

 PostgreSQL and MySQL documenta on and tutorials

Month 2: Core Data Engineering Tools (Days 31-60)

Week 5-6: ETL/ELT Processing and Data Integra on

 Goal: Master data extrac on, transforma on, and loading processes

 Skills to acquire: ETL principles, data integra on pa erns, data quality management

 Free resources:

 Week 2-3 of DataTalks.Club's "Data Engineering Zoomcamp"3

 Apache NiFi, Talend Open Studio tutorials

 GitHub repositories with ETL example projects

Week 7-8: Cloud Pla orms and Infrastructure

 Goal: Develop proficiency in cloud-based data engineering

 Skills to acquire: Cloud storage, compu ng resources, managed services

 Free resources:

 Google Cloud's data engineering course materials1

 AWS free er with tutorials for S3, RDS, Redshi

 Microso Azure free learning paths for data engineers

Week 9-10: Apache Spark and Distributed Compu ng

 Goal: Learn to process large-scale datasets efficiently

 Skills to acquire: Spark core, Spark SQL, RDDs, DataFrames

 Free resources:

 Apache Spark official documenta on and tutorials

 Week 5 of DataTalks.Club's "Data Engineering Zoomcamp" on batch processing3

 Databricks Community Edi on with learning resources1

Week 11-12: Data Lakes and Big Data Storage

 Goal: Understand data lake architecture and implementa on

 Skills to acquire: Data lake design, storage formats (Parquet, Avro, ORC)

 Free resources:

 Cloud provider documenta on on data lake solu ons

 Week 2 content from "Data Engineering Zoomcamp" on data lakes3

 Open-source Hadoop ecosystem tutorials

Month 4: Data Pipelines and Orchestra on (Days 91-120)

Week 13-14: Workflow Orchestra on

 Goal: Create and manage complex data pipelines

 Skills to acquire: Apache Airflow, workflow design pa erns, scheduling

 Free resources:

 Airflow documenta on and tutorials

 Week 3 of "Data Engineering Zoomcamp" on workflow orchestra on3

 GitHub repositories with example DAGs and pipelines

Week 15-16: CI/CD and Infrastructure as Code

 Goal: Implement modern DevOps prac ces for data engineering

 Skills to acquire: Git, Docker, Terraform, CI/CD pipelines

 Free resources:

 GitHub Learning Lab

 Docker's official tutorials

 Terraform free learning resources

Month 5: Streaming and Real- me Data (Days 121-150)

 Goal: Understand streaming architecture and implementa on

 Skills to acquire: Stream processing principles, event-driven architecture

 Free resources:

 Week 6 of "Data Engineering Zoomcamp" on streaming3

 Apache Ka a documenta on and tutorials

 Confluent Developer tutorials

Week 19-20: Real- me Analy cs

 Goal: Build systems for real- me data processing and analy cs

 Skills to acquire: Stream processing with Spark Streaming or Flink

 Free resources:

 Apache Spark Streaming documenta on

 Apache Flink training materials

 Real- me dashboard building tutorials

Month 6: Projects and Specializa on (Days 151-180)

Week 21-22: End-to-End Project Implementa on

 Goal: Apply all learned skills in comprehensive projects

 Skills to acquire: Project architecture, implementa on, documenta on

 Free resources:

 Project ideas from KnowledgeHut1

 Week 7-9 of "Data Engineering Zoomcamp" on project work3

 Open datasets from Kaggle or government portals

Week 23-24: Specializa on and Interview Prepara on

 Goal: Deepen knowledge in your chosen specialty and prepare for job interviews

 Skills to acquire: Domain exper se, interview techniques, por olio refinement

 Free resources:

 Snowflake learning resources1

 Technical interview prepara on guides

 Data engineering communi es on Discord, Slack, Reddit

Recommended Free Comprehensive Courses

1. DataTalks.Club's "Data Engineering Zoomcamp"3

 Includes hands-on projects and peer reviews

 Covers data inges on, warehousing, orchestra on, batch processing, and streaming

2. Google Cloud's Data Engineering Training1

 Deep dive into cloud-based data engineering

 Includes hands-on labs and prac cal exercises

 Focuses on real-world implementa on

3. AWS Data Engineering Tutorial for Beginners3

 Excellent for learning AWS-specific data engineering tools

 Provides a founda on for working with AWS data services

Daily Learning Structure

For effec ve learning, consider adop ng this daily structure:

 1-2 hours on weekdays (focused theory and quick prac ce)2

 6-7 hours on weekends (deep prac ce, project work)2

 Total of approximately 15-20 hours per week

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