Nano Degree Program for Data Engineering — Does it worth getting?

I enrolled in the Nano degree for data engineering and in this article, I will share with you my opinion and more details about it . let’s begin

My background:

I worked for 6 years as a Business intelligence analyst .experienced in data warehouse and wrote SQL queries to extract data on specific criteria based on the business team’s requirements. the tools I used to use Oracle, Teradata DB, and business object (BO SAP).

At this point, I didn’t use or have experience in cloud services but realized that it was time to learn about cloud services like Azure, AWS, or GCP. The market everyday grows up and spreads out in terms of cloud services.

but how …?

I found it on the Instagram post .scholarship sponcered by Shell. it was an advertisement from Udacity that announce that there is a scholarship sponcered by Shell that provides you with a nano degree program for Data engineering. I applied for it and got a message that I am accepted.

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”

― Dr. Seuss

Nano Degree contents :

It lasted for 4 months .and I will tell you the details of this program

1-Data Modeling:

In this section, I have learned about Relational data models and NoSQL models and did 2 projects. the first one was with Postgres and the second was with Cassandra. It was a good start for me as it was the first time I do a project with Cassandra. My work before was usually with relational Databases.

2-Cloud Data Warehouses with Azure:

In this section, I have learned about Azure Data Warehouse technologies and tools like Azure Synapse analytics and how to ingest data, and create staging tables at the end of this section you have to submit a real project and in this part, the project was built Data Warehouses using Azure Synapse analytics.

3-Data lakes and Lakehouses with Spark and Azure Databricks:

Talk about what is data lakes and Spark. Data wrangling with Spark and optimization. also Data Lakes and Lakehouse with Azure Databricks. I learned about Databricks and how to write a notebook on it and the project was the most important thing as you have to use all the information and knowledge that you gain in a project. the project here built Data Lake with Azure Databricks.

4. Data Pipelines with Azure:

This part was the most interesting and awesome part for me as I learned about a full stream of a data pipeline and creating a data pipeline from A to Z . from extracting data from sources like Azure SQL and making some transactions like filtration or adding a new column to load the data in a destination like Azure synapse. learn about datasets and how to create dataflow. build pipeline and monitor it.

5-Agile Development with Azure:

In this section, I learned about CI/CD pipelines using Azure DevOps And GitHub.this part was the most difficult part for me but add me a lot of knowledge and make difference in my practical experience.

“Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young.”

― Henry Ford

In my opinion, the Nano degree program was an awesome start step. it boosts my knowledge and experience. Let me be frank, I’m lucky I’ve enrolled in this scholarship as In 4 months it added a lot to my experience and knowledge it may be hard to get it alone.

But take care you have to be a committed person. it was a Long and hard journey but it deserves the effort. and you have to continue learning after it . as it is a good start but to be an expert you have to do an effort.

Believe in yourself and think about When you do the same things as others do, how could you expect to go places they could never reach?

Look for a chance by putting yourself in the places where the chance can find you. follow Udacity's Instagram page and other platforms like LinkedIn to can find free scholarships or discounts.

Conclusion:

I hope you enjoyed reading this and finding it informative, feel free to follow, add your comments, thoughts, or feedback, and don’t forget to get in touch on LinkedIn or follow my medium account to keep updated.

“For the best return on your money, pour your purse into your head.”

― Benjamin Franklin