Data Engineers may have not have a choice to the type of role they play. Much of it depends on the size and type of company at which they work. Generalists tend to be more highly skilled as they are responsible for a larger variety of data tasks. Those whose work is concentrated with the Pipeline tend to work more closely with Data Scientists and are more familiar with getting the data prepared for analysis. Data Scientists whose work is concentrated on databases may work more with the ETL process and table schemas. As you answer this question, be sure to include all your experiences (if you have worked in more than one type of role) and why you prefer one type over another.