RecordMove

Data engineer to IoT developer

A data engineer already meets 22% of what the IoT developer role asks for. The move turns on 14 required skills not yet in the profile.

Fig. 1 · Skill transfer ESCO v1.2.1 · directional

From data engineer

Distant match

To IoT developer

5 You already bring

14 Still to learn

22 Skills in the target role2

Learning distance Substantial retraining

72.8/ 100

adjacentmoderatesubstantialcareer change

1 How much of what an IoT developer is expected to do is already part of a data engineer’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the IoT developer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.

Why

Why this move works

An IoT developer role treats 4 of its required skills as things a data engineer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.

computer science
digital data processing
perform dimensionality reduction
use data processing techniques

What stands in the way is 14 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.

Table 2

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 5 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An IoT developer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a data engineer background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

already held perform dimensionality reduction working with computers
already held establish data processes working with computers
already held use data processing techniques working with computers
already held computer science information and communication technologies (icts)
already held digital data processing working with computers

All 5 carried skills, including the 4 the IoT developer role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 17 missing skills fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.

Skill to pick up Tier

01 information and communication technologies (icts) 8 required, 2 supplementary

still to learn ICT software specifications required
still to learn ICT system programming required
still to learn Internet of Things required
still to learn principles of artificial intelligence required
still to learn algorithms required
still to learn hardware testing methods required
still to learn machine learning required
still to learn task algorithmisation required

optional, not held ICT architectural frameworks optional
optional, not held mobile device software frameworks optional

02 engineering, manufacturing and construction 2 required

still to learn computer technology required
still to learn mechatronics required

03 working with computers 1 required, 1 supplementary

still to learn utilise machine learning required

optional, not held perform online data analysis optional

04 communication, collaboration and creativity 1 required

still to learn design information system required

05 information skills 1 required

still to learn analyse big data required

06 management skills 1 required

still to learn develop ICT workflow required

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries an IoT developer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.

Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.

Appendix

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 5 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held computer science knowledge
already held digital data processing skill
already held perform dimensionality reduction skill
already held use data processing techniques skill
already held establish data processes skill

3 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to pick up Tier

optional, not held ICT architectural frameworks optional
optional, not held mobile device software frameworks optional
optional, not held perform online data analysis optional

23 held skills the IoT developer role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role SAS Data Management knowledge
not needed by the target role Teradata Database knowledge
not needed by the target role analyse pipeline database information skill
not needed by the target role cloud technologies knowledge
not needed by the target role create data models skill
not needed by the target role create data sets skill
not needed by the target role data analytics knowledge
not needed by the target role data models knowledge
not needed by the target role data storage knowledge
not needed by the target role data warehouse knowledge
not needed by the target role database management systems knowledge
not needed by the target role design database in the cloud skill
not needed by the target role develop data processing applications skill
not needed by the target role implement data warehousing techniques skill
not needed by the target role manage ICT data architecture skill
not needed by the target role manage data skill
not needed by the target role manage quantitative data skill
not needed by the target role manage research data skill
not needed by the target role process data skill
not needed by the target role statistics knowledge
not needed by the target role store digital data and systems skill
not needed by the target role unstructured data knowledge
not needed by the target role use databases skill

12 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice

Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.

Skill to pick up Tier

still to learn ICT software specifications required
still to learn ICT system programming required
still to learn Internet of Things required
still to learn principles of artificial intelligence required
still to learn algorithms required
still to learn computer technology required
still to learn hardware testing methods required
still to learn machine learning required
still to learn mechatronics required
still to learn task algorithmisation required
optional, not held ICT architectural frameworks optional
optional, not held mobile device software frameworks optional

Index

Other moves recorded from data engineer

Full index of moves from data engineer

FAQ

Common questions about this move

Can a data engineer become an IoT developer?

Yes, and it is a substantial move. A data engineer already covers 22% of what an IoT developer is expected to do: 5 skills carry over, 4 of which the IoT developer role treats as required.

What skills does a data engineer need to become an IoT developer?

14 required skills are missing, plus 3 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information and communication technologies (icts). The single most important is ICT software specifications.

How hard is the move from data engineer to IoT developer?

Its learning distance is 72.8 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.

Note

How this record was compiled

Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.