Job Market Demand, Curriculum, and Program FAQs

We’ve received an overwhelmingly positive response to the announcement of our Data Engineering Bootcamp last week. Over 80 of our Seekers (graduates of our various bootcamp programs who are still searching for their first tech role) are interested in being considered for a seat in the Data Engineering bootcamp and our community on LinkedIn is definitely “excited!”

"Really excited to see this news, and more excited to see the great talent it will produce."

"A natural step in the progression of the Data enthusiast. I've found myself already learning these skills on-the-fly with my current job, so having a dedicated program will prove highly valuable"

"I am so excited for this to be rolling out. Can’t wait to see how this shapes up in the next few weeks and beyond."

"As a proud alum, Very much excited to see new data eng talent coming out from NSS. If you are considering a career in data engineering, NSS is the place."

"I'm excited to see the continued growth and success of NSS!"

So how is the Data Engineering Bootcamp shaping up?

In part 1 of this series, we defined Data Engineering, identified the key skills associated with Data Engineering, and talked a bit about why the demand for Data Engineers is strong and growing. We’re not going to repeat all of that, so if you need to catch up on the background, hit the link and go check out part 1. We’ll be here when you get back. 

Job Market Demand For Data Engineers

Last month we explored trends in job postings for software development and data analytics. We’ve been keeping an eye on job market trends for data engineering as well. Let’s drill a bit deeper into job market demand for data engineers, looking both nationally and locally. One compelling aspect of data engineering’s job prospects locally is that (on a per capita basis) there are more data engineers locally than in comparable cities (see figure 1). This is not true for some other categories of tech roles - for example, despite the significant growth in software developer jobs locally over the past 10 years, Nashville still lags behind similar cities in the number of software developers per capita. That’s a good starting point in assessing local potential for growth along this career pathway. 

Figure 1

Figure 1 (above) speaks to the relative strength of data engineering locally. Figure 2 (below) speaks to the question of job posting trends. This chart is similar to several we have shared recently looking at job demand for software developers and data analysts both nationally and locally. This chart shows national and local job postings for positions that contain the terms data engineer, ETL, or data pipeline in the description of the job (job titles for data engineers are fairly diverse and you get a somewhat different chart if you select based on job titles in postings). 

As with other charts like this we’ve shared, the national trend line is shown in blue and it ties to the scale on the left-hand vertical axis. The local trend line is shown in red and ties to the scale on the right-hand vertical axis. Over the last few years the demand picture locally matches pretty closely with the national trend although there’s noticeably more short-term variability locally. Overall, it certainly appears that just like Data Science around 8 years ago, Middle Tennessee has reached the critical mass of positions and the growth in demand required to sustain demand for fresh talent for data engineering work. 

Figure 2

What topics will the Data Engineering bootcamp cover?

We are building the syllabus based on our research into the skills and competencies required for junior data engineers. We don’t yet have a complete syllabus for the program (see the FAQ below). We will continue to evolve that through April as we review our curriculum ideas with members of the Data Engineering community in Nashville. One thing we’re focused on in those conversations is determining expectations for the skills and competencies associated with a job-ready junior data engineer, i.e. how far do we need to go to get someone ready to be productive quickly on the job. 

You can look back at Part 1 of this series to see a bit more about the general scope of Data Engineering. I’m also reproducing the diagram we showed in part 1 below for ease of reference as Figure 3. 

The bootcamp will focus on topics related to the central box in Figure 3 that includes Ingestion, Transformation, and Serving overlaying Storage. That box encompasses the activities associated with sourcing data required for some downstream activity and creating a pipeline or pipelines between the source data and the downstream uses of the data. The world of the junior data engineer is focused around this lifecycle of activities and the associated technologies and techniques used to implement solutions in this space. 

Some other highlights:

• As with all NSS classes, learning will be hands-on and experiential.
• The class will pivot around a series of projects that implement portions of a data pipeline or entire end-to-end data pipelines. Major projects will be based on real-world projects and, in some cases, use data sourced from local organizations. 
• Some of the key technologies to be used in the class include Python, SQL & NoSQL databases, dbt, Apache Airflow, AWS, Azure, Azure Databricks, command line, and Git/Github.
• Students will develop a personal capstone project. 

Figure 3

Diagram is from the excellent Fundamentals of Data Engineering by Reis and Housley.

Tell me more about the new bootcamp

I’m going to address some additional questions about the new bootcamp FAQ-style below. Also watch our website as we plan to add a program page for Data Engineering later this month. 

When will the first cohort start?

Currently planning on starting the first cohort in May, quite possibly Monday, May 19. There are still some decisions being made that could shift things around somewhat but we expect to get things rolling in May. 

What is the class schedule, length, etc.

Here again, we are still sorting out some options. We sent out a survey to all of our Seekers asking them about preferences regarding scheduling of the first cohort of this bootcamp. Responses to the survey will have a major impact on our decisions on the schedule details. 

The first big decision in this area is whether the first cohort will be full-time or part-time. We are leaning toward full-time for the first cohort but we are still evaluating the responses to our recent survey to determine if that is going to be possible. It seems very likely that the second cohort will be part-time. 

It’s possible that we will be able to shorten some of the more introductory sections of the class if we can fill a first cohort with students that already understand Python and SQL basics. We’ll have better answers to this question in the next two weeks. 

What will it cost to attend?

The initial cohorts of the Data Engineering bootcamp will be free to qualified students. 

Who is qualified to apply?

For the first cohort, we are targeting NSS Seekers (graduates of our various bootcamp programs who are still searching for their first tech role) as well as tech professionals who have been laid off and looking to acquire new skills to help them restart their careers and recent graduates of other skills credentialing programs (e.g. C.S. or Analytics degrees from local universities such as MTSU, TSU, etc.). We will  announce how those laid off from tech positions or those with degree qualifications still searching for a first position can connect with us to express interest in the program within a few weeks.

It’s highly likely that the second cohort will also have the same qualifications for free attendance. Whether we will open the second cohort also to paying students is undetermined; however, we have had approximately 80 of our Seekers indicate an interest in taking this bootcamp. We’re looking for 12 to 15 for the first cohort so it seems likely that even after some time passes we will be able to fill the second cohort with Seekers and others who qualify for free tuition. 

How are we able to offer the class for free?

Last year a couple of things happened that enabled us to take steps to launch a new Data Engineering Bootcamp at NSS. First, we were able, through a generous grant from the Frist Foundation, to purchase a subscription to Lightcast Analyst, a premier source of jobs data, where we could see evidence for the growth of data engineering related jobs in the Nashville MSA (see chart above) that goes beyond the anecdotal.

Subsequently we were awarded two large grants that have funded, among other things, the instructor resources to develop and deliver the data engineering bootcamp. That means we can offer the new bootcamp free to qualified students during the grant period.

Who will be the instructor? 

We have a new senior instructor who will be joining us in April to focus on the data engineering program. We can’t tell you more today, but Seekers who attend the April 8 info session (see below) will have a chance to meet him. 

Can I see the syllabus for the program?

As noted above, we have not yet finalized the syllabus for the program. We are continuing to gather input from the local community of data engineering professionals and employers regarding where to draw the line relative to the skills needed to prepare a junior data engineer to be “job-ready”. Once the syllabus is finalized we will share an outline of the core topics and technologies covered in the program. 

How can I learn more about data engineering and the program?  

You can learn more about both the bootcamp program and data engineering by attending an information session. 

For our Seekers: We are holding a special information session for our Seekers on Tuesday, April 8 starting at 5:30pm. You will receive further details by email - watch for a reminder email if you didn’t reply to the first survey.

For other qualified potential applicants (as described above), NSS alumni, and community members: Subscribe to our Data Engineering newsletter below to receive program updates. We will start discussing Data Engineering in both of our normal monthly information sessions starting soon. Watch our newsletter for updates on when that will start. 

We’re also happy to answer questions individually - just email us at info@nashvillesoftwareschool.com

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