Data Scientists and Data Engineers are Data Science professionals with some skills in common and different responsibilities. If you don’t know how a Data Scientist differs from a Data Engineer, this article is for you. In this article, I will introduce the difference between a Data Scientist and a Data Engineer based on role and responsibilities, skillset, education, and salary.
Difference Between a Data Scientist and a Data Engineer
A Data Scientist is a Data Science professional who works with data to solve business problems with the data generated by the company. And a data engineer is a Data Science professional who collects, transforms, and process data according to the need of the company.
Data Scientists and Data Engineers have some skills in common in their skillset, but their responsibilities are different in an organisation. So below is how we can differentiate a Data Scientist and a Data Engineer based on their role, skillset, education, and salary.
| Data Scientist | Data Engineer | |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A Data Scientist works with data to solve business problems with the data generated by the business. | A data engineer collects, transforms, and process data according to the need of the business. |
| Role and Responsibilities | 1. Working closely with the data team and management. 2. Analysing the business environment and identifying growth opportunities. 3. Creating Reports and Dashboards. 4. Applying the latest data science techniques and ensuring data quality. | 1. Collecting data according to business needs. 2. Data cleaning and transformation. 3. Data modeling and warehousing on cloud platforms. 4. Designing and developing data pipelines. |
| Skills Required | Data Analysis, SQL, Python/R, Tableau/Power BI,  Advanced Excel, Statistics, Data Visualization and Reporting, Storytelling, Business Intelligence, and Machine Learning algorithms. | Python, SQL, Data warehousing, database and operating systems, web scraping, data mining, machine learning algorithms, cloud computing, Apache Hadoop and Apache Spark. |
| Preferred Educational Background | Computer Science, Business, Statistics | Computer Science, Engineering |
| Salary as a Fresher | Average Salary in the US: $92,000 /yr Average Salary in India: ₹5,66,000 /yr | Average Salary in the US: $77,000 /yr Average Salary in India: ₹4,55,000 /yr |
| Salary as an Experienced Professional | Average Salary in the US: $1,05,000 /yr Average Salary in India: ₹8,50,000 /yr | Average Salary in the US: $95,000 /yr Average Salary in India: ₹7,00,000 /yr |
So this is how Data Scientists and Data Engineers are different. I hope it will help you decide which career is better for you according to your skillset, education, and expected income.
Summary
A Data Scientist works with data to solve business problems with the data generated by the business. And a Data engineer collects, transforms, and process data according to the need of the company. I hope you liked this article on the difference between a Data Scientist and a Data Engineer. Feel free to ask valuable questions in the comments section below.
