Technology & Data
Degree
Data Engineer
Build and maintain the data pipelines, warehouses and infrastructure that let organisations store and analyse data at scale.
A day in the life
Design databases, build ETL/ELT pipelines, monitor data quality, and support data scientists and analysts.
Entry routes
- A-level Physics + Maths + Computer Science
- Computer Science, Maths or Physics degree
- Graduate scheme or data engineering conversion course
Typical salary
£30,000-£40,000 to £90,000+
Mid-career: £50,000-£75,000
Finance, tech and AI companies often pay above these ranges.
UK employers
- GCHQ
- Monzo
- BBC
- Skyscanner
Worldwide employers
- Amazon
- Snowflake
- Databricks
Useful route links
These links are good starting points for courses, apprenticeships, graduate routes and professional training. They open the official or specialist sites rather than another summary page.
UCAS course search: data engineering
Compare degree prospectuses, entry requirements, open days and course structures.
ucas.com
Tech Nation jobs and talent
Specialist UK AI, machine-learning and quantum talent routes.
technation.io
UCAS Physics and astronomy courses
Search UK undergraduate physics, astrophysics and related degree options.
ucas.com
Prospects: what can I do with a physics degree?
Independent overview of careers that physics graduates enter.
prospects.ac.uk
Find an apprenticeship on GOV.UK
Search current apprenticeship and degree apprenticeship vacancies in England.
gov.uk
Key skills
Explore related careers
Sources and further reading
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