[jstx1]

Are you doing any data engineering at you current job? Anything you can lean into more? My first data analyst job was essentially a mistitled data engineering job.

One challenge that you need to overcome is that many data engineering roles require experience with specific tools and that junior positions aren't quite as common.

I also think that you should consider backend software development as an option. It's a similar role (depending on the type of DE role you compare to) but with better opportunities for progression and more career flexibility; it's also been around much longer than DE which is a relatively new job title. Another weird thing is that some DE roles have lower status in some companies. Especially if you get to work with data scientists, there's sometimes the perception that DS are the smart people and DE are the grunts that do the plumbing. The whole thing is obviously very misplaced but it does exist in some places and you should be aware of it.

[quokkafriend]

I see thank you. A lot to ponder here.

I'm actually a PM with a good analytics background that is contemplating my options.

I was considering DE because it seemed maybe more of a feasible leap than straight to backend SWE.

[quokkafriend]

Thank you. A lot to ponder.

Im actually a PM with analytics experience so thought that DE would be an easier path in than backend SWE...