There is absolutely no dispute about the potential value of big data. It made possible to combine large, and widely disparate sets of data in unprecedented ways that are cost effective and provides business value. Big Data is fundamentally transforming the IT data landscape with its emerging data management approaches and technologies, and analytic technologies that support the business.

The world of Big Data is changing every day with a severe amount of innovation going on around big data technology. A new technology is announced every day. Therefore, a new skill is peeping in the IT job market every day, opening up new opportunities for the skilled professionals.

According to an Economic Times report, the demand for professionals skilled in data science, machine learning, and artificial learning has surged by up to 50% over the last year in India. Also, the professionals with these skills are compensated at least 40% higher than other IT skills, thanks to the limited talent pool.

The McKinsey projects predict that 2018 will face a shortage of 190,000 big data professionals in the United States alone. There are a number of factors contributing to the skills gap that includes the novelty of technology skillset, and the demand for a new kind of project management expertise.

Although our popular belief suggests that Big Data professionals are demanded and employed by IT companies like Facebook, IBM, Google, etc., the experts adept in Big Data technologies are well sought after by businesses of non-IT sectors.

Hence, with the rising usage of Big Data, many job roles and careers will rely heavily on Big Data related skills, who can analyze and report data that can be used to take strategic decision for businesses and organizations across different industries. Here are some of the most in-demand Big Data skills that may land you high paying jobs.

Must Read – Big Data: What’s so BIG in it?

Big Data Skills That Are High In Demand

In this part, we have tried to give you a glimpse of the top Big Data skills that are most sought after by employers.

Apache Hadoop

Hadoop has almost become synonymous to Big Data. Even if it is quite a few years old, the demand for Hadoop technology is not going down. Professionals with knowledge of the core components of the Hadoop such as HDFS, MapReduce, Flume, Oozie, Hive, Pig, HBase, and YARN are and will be high in demand.

Learn Apache Hadoop to skill up.

Apache Spark

With the increasing needs for rapid analysis and processing of Big Data, Spark, the in-memory stack, is being preferred as a faster and simpler alternative to MapReduce, either within a Hadoop framework or outside it. Therefore, Big Data enthusiasts with in-depth knowledge of Spark are hugely rewarded by employers.

Skill Up with Apache Spark today.

Data Mining and Machine Learning

In today’s big data landscape, data mining has touched a whole new level. Machine learning is also one of the hottest fields in big data. Big data professionals who can leverage machine learning technology to build and manage predictive analytic applications such as classification, recommendation, and personalization systems are hugely in demand and can grab the top packages in the job market.

Learn more about Machine Learning now.

NoSQL

NoSQL databases like MongoDB and Couchbase are taking over the tasks previously performed by SQL databases like Oracle and IBM DB2. Most big enterprises are increasingly using distributed, scale-out NoSQL databases to meet their data storage needs. As a result, the demand for professionals equipped with the skills of NoSQL is increasing.

Data Visualization

Big data is complex and can be tough to comprehend. Performing a multivariate or logistic regression analysis on the data can turn out to be a serious complicated affair at times. Therefore, data visualization tools like Tableau, Qlikview come handy. They let you explore a sample of your data and tell you the shape of your data, or reveal hidden insights.

General Purpose Programming

Knowledge of general-purpose languages like C, Java, Scala, Python, etc. can give you the edge over your competitors who are skilled in just analytics. According to Wanted Analytics 2014 hiring survey, the number of job postings for “computer programmers” with a background in data analytics has increased by 337 percent.

R, SAS, Matlab, etc.

Statistical and quantitative analysis is an essential aspect of Big Data related jobs. Experience and expertise in statistical tools like R, SAS, SPSS, Matlab, or Stata, can help you lock down the Big Data job you are looking for.

Big Data Jobs Worth Considering In 2017

Now that we have discussed the skills that are most in demand in the Big Data world, let’s take a look at the job roles that you should consider to make it big in the field of Big Data.

Data Analyst

They are problem-solvers who typically analyze data systems, create automated systems to retrieve information from the database and compile reports. Although Data Analysts work closely with other members of a Big Data team, they are often needed to work independently.

Data Scientist

Data scientists analyze raw data (structured and unstructured) to derive insights and present their findings to business leaders so that they can take important decisions impacting business growth. Data Scientists need to be both tech savvy and business savvy in order to use data for recommendations about trends and actions that can lead to business growth.

Data Architect

Data architects are those members of the Big Data team who understand all aspects of a database design. They collaborate with big data engineers to create data workflows and are responsible for designing and testing new database prototypes.

Database Administrator

Database administrators perform the day-to-day work of managing database, which includes maintaining backups, handling updates and modifications, and ensuring the stability of the databases.

Database Manager

Database Managers are responsible for leading the data team and maintaining the organization’s entire database environment, along with standard management duties such as dealing with the department budget and managing personnel.

Data Engineer

Data engineers take the role of mediators between business executives and data scientists. They are responsible for communicating Data Scientists about the company’s major goals so they can maneuver data in a way that achieves those objectives. Data Engineers also handle vast amounts of raw data and evaluate new data sources.

Fuel Your Big Data Career

There is no denying that the field of Big Data is growing in its full of potential. Big data jobs come in various shapes and sizes across different industries. You just need to be ready with your skills to grab the one that best aligns with your expertise and interests. So, do not miss out. Hone your data skills today and be the expert.