10 Best Data Engineering Courses to Start a New Career in 2024

There may come a time when you’re considering a new career. And when you’re looking for a new career, two considerations come to mind: financial security and job security. In today’s digital world, a few industries offer both types of security. One of them involves data.

As more businesses and organizations begin shifting into data-focused and driven strategies, the demand for data professionals continues to skyrocket. Thus, it’s no surprise that more people are thinking about changing careers and becoming data analysts, scientists, or engineers.

If you’re also thinking about a potential career in data engineering, you might be wondering where you should begin. This may be especially true if you’re entirely new to the field and unaware of what skills you need to get hired.

This article shows you some of the best data engineering courses to help you find a foothold in your path to a new career. We even discuss options for every skill level to help you find a better starting point. Read on to find out which data engineering online course might suit you best!

Top Data Engineer Courses in 2024

The field of data engineering is growing rapidly. Companies are struggling to find employees to fill positions on their teams, as there is far more demand than supply. For this reason, data engineering professionals tend to get paid six figures on average throughout the USA. Beyond the high average pay rates, data engineers can also enjoy the benefits of job security. 

If you’re ready to start a career as a data engineer, you can take data engineering courses online to help you get started.

1. [Udacity] Data Engineer Nanodegree Program - Editor’s Choice
2. [Dataquest] Data Engineering Career Path
3. [Udemy] Data Warehouse Fundamentals for Beginners
4. [Coursera] Professional Certificate in Data Engineering by IBM
5. [edX] Professional Certificate in Data Engineering Fundamentals by IBM
6. [Udacity] Data Structures and Algorithms Nanodegree
7. [Coursera] Google Cloud Data Engineer Professional Certificate
8. [DataCamp] Data Engineer with Python Career Track
9. [Coursera] Professional Certificate in Data Warehouse Engineering by IBM
10. [DataTalks.club] Data Engineering Zoomcamp

Data Engineering Courses to Help You Start Your Career in 2024

1. [Udacity] Data Engineer Nanodegree Program- Editor’s Choice

Rating: 4.8/5

Pricing:

• $399 per month if you go month-to-month
• $1,695 for 5 months of access if you pay upfront
• Udacity also has personalized discounts which may allow you to save more on costs

Udacity is a platform that offers intensive online courses called Nanodegrees. Each perfectly-tailored Nanodegree helps you learn everything you need to know about a particular field from start to finish. For example, the Data Engineer Nanodegree program arms you with the knowledge and skills you need to start finding work in the area.

This Nanodegree teaches students to use some of the most popular and industry-leading tools, such as Apache Airflow, Spark, Apache Cassandra, and more.

Pros

• Teaches you industry-leading tools and vital skills and knowledge to succeed as a data engineer
• Ends with a capstone project that you can put in your portfolio
• Udacity is a well-known and respected platform; certificates earned through their programs are widely recognized by many potential employers
• Offers career services

Cons

• Definitely on the pricier side of things

Course in Summary

Learn More Here.

2. [Dataquest] Data Engineering Career Path

Rating: 4.6/5

Pricing:

• Limited free forever plan allows you to access limited resources and courses
• Premium plan starts at $49 per month paid monthly
• Annual membership is more affordable at $399 per year
• Team plans also available

Dataquest’s Data Engineering Career Path will take you through every lesson you need to become a data engineer. This data engineering program is affordable, but its self-paced lessons do not come with videos. You’ll also need basic knowledge of SQL and Python.

Pros

• Each course has guided projects to help students practice what they learned
• Curriculums are well-structured and courses are high-quality
• Earn a certificate of completion at the end
• Learn Python

Cons

• Not as much content available compared to other platforms
• Courses are text-based; no video

Course in Summary

Learn More Here.

3. [Udemy] Data Warehouse Fundamentals for Beginners

Rating: 4.4/5

Pricing:

• One-time purchase of $44.99 or $17.99 when on sale
• 30-day money-back guarantee

The Data Warehouse Fundamentals for Beginners is one of the best data engineering classes you can take if you need to learn specifically about building data warehouses. Udemy’s courses are affordable and accessible, and you can keep your purchased courses forever!

The only downside to Udemy is that not all potential employers recognize certificates earned on Udemy as valid credentials. This is because anyone can create a course on the platform, meaning the quality of courses isn’t always consistently good.

Pros

• Affordable, especially if you buy the course on sale
• Keep the course forever
• Great for beginners
• Accessible and convenient

Cons

• Because anyone can create a course on Udemy, many employers do not recognize certificates earned on this platform

Course in Summary

Learn More Here.

4. [Coursera] Professional Certificate in Data Engineering by IBM

Rating: 4.6/5

Pricing: 

• 7-day free trial, then
• Coursera Plus subscription for $49 per month paid monthly, or $399 annually
• Annual option comes with a 14-day money-back guarantee

If you want to earn a professional certificate after you finish your data engineering classes, this IBM Data Engineering Professional Certificate is an excellent place to start. This program will teach you everything from the fundamentals so that you’ll be ready to start looking for work after you finish.

This is just one of many data engineering programs available on Coursera, each offered in collaboration with IBM. However, this course takes the most commitment, as you’ll take fifteen weeks to finish it if you dedicate four hours to learning each week.

Pros

• Course offered by IBM, one of the world’s leading technological firms
• Earn a professional certificate when you finish
• Available with a Coursera Plus subscription
• Finishing earns you up to 12 transferable college credits

Cons

• There’s more of a focus on IBM products so if you’d like a more well-rounded education, you may not get it here
• Takes 15 months at 4 hrs/week

Course in Summary

Learn More Here.

5. [edX] Professional Certificate in Data Engineering Fundamentals by IBM

Rating: 4.7/5

Pricing:

• $524 at full price; $471.60 when discounted

The Data Engineering Fundamentals is another course offered in collaboration with IBM, this time on edX. This course is an affordable yet high-quality option for beginners starting without knowledge or experience.

Pros

• Course offered by IBM, one of the world’s leading technological firms
• Earn a professional certificate when you finish
• Affordable overall
• Excellent option for beginners

Cons

• Better suited to beginners as it discusses fundamentals more so than in-depth, advanced concepts

Course in Summary

Learn More Here.

6. [Udacity] Data Structures and Algorithms Nanodegree

Rating: 4.7/5

Pricing: 

• $399 per month if you go month-to-month
• $1,396 for 4 months of access if you pay upfront
• Udacity also has personalized discounts, which may allow you to save more on costs

Data Structures and Algorithms is another Nanodegree offered by Udacity which takes an estimated four months to learn. This program teaches you the hows and then allows you to practice what you’ve learned with hands-on projects that you can add to your portfolio later on.

Pros

• Udacity certificates are well-respected and accepted by many potential employers
• Nanodegrees are very in-depth, and curriculums are well designed
• Mentor support and career services
• Real-world project

Cons

• On the pricier end of the spectrum
• Requires more commitment at 10 hours per week

Course in Summary

Learn More Here.

7. [Coursera] Google Cloud Data Engineer Professional Certificate

Rating: 4.6/5

Pricing: 

• 7-day free trial, then
• Coursera Plus subscription for $49 per month paid monthly, or $399 annually
• Annual option comes with a 14-day money-back guarantee

The Google Cloud Data Engineer Professional Certificate serves a double purpose: it prepares you for your assessment for Google Cloud certification while also giving you a professional certificate when you finish. This Coursera program, which is offered in conjunction with Google Cloud Training, takes five months to finish if you study three hours a week. However, you can finish much faster if you dedicate more time to learning weekly!

Pros

• Professional certificate upon completion
• Flexible schedule
• Learn from Google Cloud Training
• Hands-on labs with Qwiklabs for some extra experience

Cons

• This data engineering course is more for intermediate users

Course in Summary

Learn More Here.

8. [DataCamp] Data Engineer with Python Career Track 

Rating: 4.6/5

Pricing: Under the Learn Tier, there are four plans —

• Basic plan (free forever) offers limited access
• Premium plan starts at $1 for the first month (during the promo) and $15 per month thereafter or $149 per year

• Teams (2 users or more) costs $25 per user/month billed yearly

• Enterprise pricing is custom, contact sales for information

DataCamp is a well-known platform within data professional circles. Certificates earned here tend to be recognized and accepted by potential employers, thanks to the widely-known fact that DataCamp’s programs are of high quality. This self-paced course teaches everything from the beginning and breaks lessons up into bite-size portions. Unfortunately, there is no capstone project.

Want to know more about DataCamp? Check out our in-depth 2024 DataCamp review.

Pros

• Certificate of completion from DataCamp is recognized by many potential employers
• DataCamp’s data engineering training starts from the fundamentals
• Breaks lessons up into bite-sized pieces

Cons

• No capstone project to cap off your learnings
• Doesn’t teach all the aspects you need, such as machine setup

Course in Summary

Learn More Here.

9. [Coursera] Professional Certificate in Data Warehouse Engineering by IBM

Rating: 4.6/5

Pricing:

• 7-day free trial, then
• Coursera Plus subscription for $49 per month paid monthly, or $399 annually
• Annual option comes with a 14-day money-back guarantee

The IBM Data Warehouse Engineer Professional Certificate is another data engineering course offered by Coursera and IBM. Taking this course will earn you a professional certificate when you finish. This course is complementary to the other IBM courses listed above, as this one focuses more on data warehouse engineering. If you spend three to four hours learning every week, you can finish in nine months.

Pros

• Professional certificate upon completion
• Flexible schedule
• Course offered by IBM, one of the world’s leading technological firms
• Available with a Coursera Plus subscription

Cons

• There’s more of a focus on IBM products, so if you’d like a more well-rounded education, you may not get it here

Course in Summary

Learn More Here.

10. [DataTalks.club] Data Engineering Zoomcamp

Rating: 4.5/5

Pricing:

• 100% free; all you have to do is register

DataTalks.club is a great community for current and aspiring data professionals. Through DataTalks, you can meet like-minded peers with whom you can discuss data, engineering, and machine learning. On the same platform, you can also attend courses and weekly events for free, as well as ask for career advice.

The Data Engineering Zoomcamp by DataTalks.club is available entirely for free. If you choose to join a cohort and learn that way, you can finish the course within nine weeks. Each week covers a different topic relating to data engineering. You can also choose the self-paced option since all of the course materials are already available on the GitHub page.

You can even earn a certificate of completion if you finish the project at the end!

Pros

• Available entirely for free!
• Choose between nine-week classes where you join a cohort or a self-paced learning style
• Covers a variety of topics for each of the nine weeks

Cons

• Not for absolute beginners, will require some coding knowledge

Course in Summary

Learn More Here.

Conclusion

There’s no doubt that one of the best ways to learn the knowledge and skills you need to shift your career is by enrolling in a course. This is certainly the case for data engineering.

If you select your course carefully, you can find one that’s perfect for your needs. Make sure you start with a course that’s appropriate for your skill and experience level to avoid getting overwhelmed! Don’t forget to look at each course’s duration and price, and ensure that your chosen course will give you a certification when you finish (if you want one)!

We hope this list of the best data engineering courses has helped you find the right choice for you. If you think we missed a course that belongs on this list, let us know in the comments below!

PS, if you're looking to build your own website to show off your data engineering portfolio, we recommend using NameCheap to buy your domain name and web hosting services. They're the best in the industry and super affordable.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Which course is the best for data engineering?

Selecting the best data engineering course for you is a personal endeavor that requires you to consider each option with regard to your needs. Consider factors like the course’s price, duration, difficulty, and more. Don’t forget to look at the reviews!

2. How can I become a data engineer?

Becoming a data engineer isn’t as challenging as you may think, but your starting point will depend on how much experience and knowledge you have. Enrolling in one of the courses listed above is the best way to start a career in this field. Alternatively, you can also learn through self-study or by earning a bachelor’s degree.

Related: How to become a Data Engineer.

3. What are data engineering courses?

A data engineering online course will provide you with the knowledge and skills you need to start a new career in this highly in-demand and lucrative field. Courses can vary in difficulty, duration, and cost, so consider each factor before you enroll.

4. Is data engineering a good career?

There is currently an increasingly high demand for data engineers, leading to a talent gap. Becoming a data engineer might help you land a lucrative career with plenty of job security as long as you prove your knowledge and skills.