Would you re-order these?

Machine Learning Engineer $$$$$

• Develop and deploy AI models

• Optimize machine learning algorithms for efficiency

• Work with big data frameworks to process large datasets

Data Scientist $$$$$

• Build predictive models and machine learning algorithms

• Analyze large datasets to identify trends and insights

• Communicate findings to stakeholders and guide business decisions

Data Engineer $$$$

• Design, build, and maintain data pipelines

• Optimize databases and data warehouses for performance

• Ensure data integrity, security, and accessibility

Data Architect $$$$

• Design enterprise data infrastructure

• Ensure scalability and security of data systems

• Define best practices for data management

Database Developer $$$$

• Design, develop, and optimize database structures (tables, indexes, constraints)

• Write and tune SQL queries, stored procedures, and functions

• Integrate databases with applications and ETL processes

Database Administrator (DBA) $$$

• Manage, maintain, and secure databases

• Optimize performance and ensure high availability

• Handle backups, disaster recovery, and troubleshooting

Business Intelligence (BI) Developer $$$

• Design and maintain BI tools and dashboards

• Integrate data from multiple sources for reporting

• Optimize data queries for performance

Data Analyst $$$

• Interpret and visualize data for reporting

• Query and clean datasets for analysis

• Provide business insights based on data trends

Data Governance Specialist $$$

• Ensure data compliance with regulations (GDPR, HIPAA, etc.)

• Define and enforce data policies and standards

• Monitor and improve data quality

ETL Developer $$$

• Build and manage Extract, Transform, Load (ETL) pipelines

• Optimize data movement between systems

• Ensure data quality in integration processes

 Check out Brent Ozar’s 2025 Salary Survey Results here

 The Bottom Line:

The world revolves around data, from your banking info to crypto to your Fortnite stats and Spotify playlists. There will always be jobs available to wrangle that data.