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Data Warehousing Specialists

Typical education: Bachelor's degreeLower pressure Bright Outlook

What they do

Design, model, or implement corporate data warehousing activities. Program and configure warehouses of database information and provide support to warehouse users.

Kinds of work

  • Conventional: Organizing information, following clear procedures and working with data and details.
  • Investigative: Science, research, figuring out how things work and solving complex problems.

Lower pressure: How much pressure workers in this job report: deadlines, conflict, dealing with upset people, the cost of mistakes, responsibility for others' safety, competition and long hours. It varies a lot from one employer to the next. Source: U.S. Department of Labor worker surveys.

Pay, tasks and more

Salary

United States $139,500 Median per year · $67.07/hr Most earn $86,240–$204,000

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.

What you might do

  • Develop data warehouse process models, including sourcing, loading, transformation, and extraction.
  • Provide or coordinate troubleshooting support for data warehouses.
  • Design and implement warehouse database structures.
  • Test software systems or applications for software enhancements or new products.
  • Perform system analysis, data analysis or programming, using a variety of computer languages and procedures.
  • Write new programs or modify existing programs to meet customer requirements, using current programming languages and technologies.

Job outlook

Bright Outlook Rapid Growth

United States
9% more jobs by 2035, much faster than average · about 3,900 openings a year

Openings include new jobs and jobs left by workers who retire or change careers. Projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Bright Outlook": U.S. Department of Labor.

Where they work

  • Computer systems design and related services23.2%
  • Management of companies and enterprises9.1%
  • Management, scientific, and technical consulting services6.2%
  • Computing infrastructure providers, data processing, web hosting, and related services5.6%
  • Software publishers5.4%

Share of all workers in this career. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Employment Matrix.

Experience before this job: 4 to 6 years

Career path

How people usually get into this career, from school to their first job and beyond.

Typical education: Bachelor's degreeExperience before this job: 4 to 6 years

This is not an entry-level job. Most people reach it after a bachelor's degree and roughly 4 to 6 years of related database, analytics, or IT work.

  1. Bachelor's degree in computer science, information systems, or a related field

    4 years

    You learn programming, SQL, database design, and how data systems work, which is the foundation for everything that comes next.

  2. Business Intelligence Analyst

    2-4 years

    You turn company data into reports and dashboards, learning how business data is stored, cleaned, and queried, which builds the skills warehouses depend on.

  3. Data Warehousing Specialist

    Reached after about 4-6 years of related work

    You design, model, and set up data warehouses and support the people who use them.

Where it can lead

  1. Database Architect

    4-6 years of experience first

    You move from building and running one warehouse to planning how data systems fit together across a whole organization, which usually means stronger design skills and leading larger projects.

What you can do now

Ideas for high school and college students.

In high school

  • Take math and statistics classesStrong math and logic skills make it easier to understand how data is organized and queried.
  • Learn basic programming or spreadsheetsCoding or advanced spreadsheet skills are the first hands-on steps toward working with data systems.
  • Join a computer science or robotics clubTeamwork on tech projects shows you how real technical work gets done and gives you something to talk about later.
  • Enter a coding or data competitionCompetitions let you practice problem solving with real datasets and build a record of your work.
  • Look for a starter job or volunteer role with records or dataHelping organize information at a school office, library, or local group builds early habits of accuracy and care with data.

In college

  • Major in computer science or information systemsThese majors cover databases, programming, and systems design, which are the core skills for this career.
  • Take database and SQL coursesCourses in database design and SQL are directly used in data warehouse work.
  • Get an internship in data or ITReal project experience with company data is one of the strongest ways to show employers you can do the work.
  • Work a campus job involving dataJobs like IT help desk or a lab data assistant teach you how users depend on systems and how to support them.
  • Join a data or tech student organizationClubs and study groups help you learn tools faster and meet people who can refer you to jobs.

Tips for getting started

  • Practice SQL and data modeling early. Build a small database project from public data and explain how you organized it.
  • Look for internships or part-time jobs that involve spreadsheets, databases, or reporting, since hands-on experience counts heavily in this field.

Related jobs that often lead here

Related jobs a step up

Education, experience and related careers: U.S. Department of Labor. The step-by-step path, where it can lead and what you can do now were written by AI as typical examples; many people take other ways.

College majors that lead here

Majors: U.S. Department of Education and BLS (CIP–SOC crosswalk). Earnings and debt: College Scorecard, typical across U.S. colleges.

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