[Career Choice] Data Engineer vs ML Engineer

Hey,

I need candid advices from MLE professionals.

I have two job offers - and am spending hard time to decide which one to take.

I already have an MLE experience (not so deep though), and wonder if I should take DE to deepen my knowledge on data handling or keep focusing on sharpening my MLE experience.

My mid-term goal is to be an Appleid ML Engineer at FAANG.

If the compensation is almost the same, which role would you take?

Or would you explore any other options?

1. ML Engineer role at an US HR company based in Tokyo

pros:

• Job description seems to align w/ the Applied MLE role.
• Flexibilities in side projects.

cons:

• 3-mo rolling contract.
• Unstable product. The product I'll dev has not yet secured its budget for 2H 2026 (meaning the role might be gone in a couple of months.)
• Location. I don't like working culture in Tokyo.

2. Senior Data Engineer (DE) role at a boutique IT firm based in Singapore

pros:

• Permanent role.
• Visa sponsorship.
• Location. (International)
• Data + ML are good skillsets?

cons:

• The DE role itself seems a bit traditional.
• Not all projects are related to ML.
• Lack of flexibilities in side projects. (I might lose momentum on my MLE skills.)