The Best Data Engineering Courses in 2025

A breakdown of the best options, their pros & cons, and my personal recommendations.

Hey friends, Happy Tuesday!

Let’s be real. Becoming a data engineer in 2025 isn’t easy. AI has pushed the demand for data engineers through the roof, but the learning market is messy. Expensive bootcamps, outdated courses, confusing roadmaps… no wonder beginners feel stuck.

I keep getting the same question from YouTube, LinkedIn, and even colleagues at work: “Baraa, what are the best courses to actually learn data engineering?”

So I went deep. I researched, tested, and compared. And today I’m breaking it down into 4 clear paths you can follow depending on your goals, time, and budget.

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Option 1: Free YouTube Learning

Cost: $0
Structure: Self-designed
Best for: Students, beginners testing the waters, anyone who can’t invest money yet.

This path is completely free. You cherry-pick courses, tutorials, and projects on YouTube, following your favorite creators.

Where to start:

• SQL → My free 30-hour SQL course (1M views in 4 months!)

• Python → My Python course

• Data Warehouse Project using SQL

• PySpark → FreeCodeCamp’s PySpark course

• Cloud → Adam’s Azure course on YouTube

Pros:

• Free

• Flexible, you design your own journey

• Many creators with different teaching styles

Cons:

• Not structured

• Quality is mixed (some courses are outdated)

• No certifications

My take: If you can’t afford paid courses, this is your path. Also great if you just want to explore data engineering. But if you want a career-ready roadmap, it’s easy to get lost.

👉 To avoid getting lost, use my free Notion Data Engineering Roadmap:
Data Engineering Roadmap (Notion)

👉 And watch my full roadmap breakdown on YouTube:

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Option 2: Hybrid (YouTube + Udemy)