“The world is one Big Data problem.”

-Andrew McAfee

With every mouse click or a tap on the mobile, you create data. By the time you have read this line and nodded your head to think, the world has generated a few terabytes or may be petabytes of data. Even when you are sleeping, you are generating data through your smartphones or computers (the WhatsApp pings or Facebook notifications or Jabong promos or Clash of Clans attacks; everything count).

Given the amount of data (structured, semi-structured or unstructured) generated every minute across the world, there is no denying that big data skills are the most in demand today. As we increasingly dwell in the digital world, more and more clusters of information are being created.

With the advancement of technology, most organizations now understand the significance of big data and what it can do to their businesses if they capture and harness all the data that streams into their paths. As a result, the demand for Big Data-related skills, that include Big Data Analytics, Hadoop Administration, etc. is soaring high.

The Big Data market is predicted to grow from USD 28.65billion in 2016 to USD 66.79billion by 2021, at a CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of 18.45%. From healthcare to real estate, to social network, to travel, to the Olympics, Big Data is the buzzword.

Why is Big Data Important?

According to Robert Abate, Global Director, Kimberly-Clark Corporation, Big Data provides answers to questions that several organizations did not even know they had in the first place. Big Data helps organizations identify new opportunities and explore new avenues. When Big Data is effectively gathered, and efficiently analyzed, companies can gain a more comprehensive understanding of their business, products, customers, and competitors.

Big Data technologies such as Hadoop and cloud-based analytics also help in significant cost reduction, improve business efficiency and drive customer satisfaction through better understanding.

Every company utilizes data, in some way or the other. The more efficiently an organization uses its data, the more potential it has to thrive.

Why learn Big Data and Hadoop?

Big Data is like a golden goose for the IT professionals. The more adept you are in technologies pertaining to Big Data and Hadoop, the more you are likely to command a higher paycheck.

The demand for Big Data skills are on the rise and with it is rising the demand for Hadoop. Owing to the current growth, it would not be wrong to say that Hadoop is one of the most cost-effective and scalable, open source substitutes for commercially available Big Data management suites. Therefore, if you wish to make it count in the Big Data field, you cannot afford to ignore Hadoop.

There are several compelling reasons to learn Big Data and Hadoop. Here are a few of them that we have enlisted to motivate you to hop on the Big Data bandwagon right away:

Exponential Growth of Big Data Market

As mentioned earlier, the Big Data market is expected to grow exponentially across the globe and it shows no signs of slowing down in the long run. According to NASSCOM, the Indian Big data analytics sector is expected to grow eightfold to reach USD 16billion by 2025 from the current level of USD 2billion. With increasing penetration of smart devices within villages and remote areas, the Big Data revolution will continue to surge.

Top Organizations Are Adopting Big Data

As market competition stiffens, more and more organizations are increasingly adopting Big Data and Hadoop technologies to identify new market opportunities. Most of the leading organizations consider big data analytics a critical component of business performance. Resultantly, Big Data and Hadoop professionals are going to have a significant say on company policies and marketing strategies.

Better Career Opportunities

One of the most important and motivating reasons to learn Big Data and Hadoop is the fact that it brings an array of opportunities to bolster your career to an unprecedented level. As more and more companies turn to Big Data, they are increasingly looking for specialists who can interpret and use data. This creates great career opportunities for Big Data professionals making Big Data and Hadoop an apt skill to learn to take advantage of the time.

Higher Salaries

It is no secret that the Big Data and Hadoop talent pool are shallow. With the growing demand, the supply of professionals with these particular skill sets remains low. The gap between demand and the adequate supply of skilled professionals is increasing every day. In 2015, McKinsey revealed that the United States alone could face a shortage of 140,000 -190,000 people with deep analytical expertise by 2017. The high skills gap along with high demand enable professionals with appropriate skills to command higher salaries.

Big Data is Everywhere

From politics to sports, you cannot deny the presence of Big Data. Healthcare organizations leverage Big Data to offer more personalized diagnosis and prescriptions, predictive analysis of diseases and many other services. While sports team utilizes Big Data analytics to scout for players who best suit their requirements. Therefore, if you learn Big Data and Hadoop, you can fit anywhere and everywhere.

Big Data Presents Lucrative Freelancing Opportunities

As we advance in time, a vast majority of the workforce prefers not to be tied to just one employer. Professionals are steadily eyeing means to diversify their sources of income and methods so that they can find the perfect work-life balance. Given the growth and the nature of the job, Big Data and Hadoop pose as potential domains to offer well-paying freelance opportunities for some of the biggest firms in the world.

Best Way to Learn Big Data and Hadoop

Although books and online tutorials are important channels to impart basic knowledge of Big Data and Hadoop, it is beneficial to take up instructor-led Big Data analytics courses to gain a comprehensive understanding of the technology.

In an era of tough competitions and emerging technologies, the best way to shine over others is to have a solid base of the skill in which you wish to build your career. Instructor-led Big Data Hadoop online training provides hands-on experience for the participants to have a better grip on the technology.

There are several training and development institutes that provide online, live, virtual and classroom training for professionals. You can also opt for Big Data certification, which will help you differentiate yourself amongst the herd.

Many training organizations arrange for micro-session training modules that are designed specifically to suit the training needs of the participants.

Our experts suggest opting for instructor-led online training for Big Data analytics courses to get the fundamentals clarified and then you can choose among various online tutorials and books to strengthen your base and enhance your knowledge of Big Data and Hadoop. Various Ivy league educational institutes like Harvard and Stanford have also made their courses on Big Data and Data Sciences available for free, online.

Who Should Learn Big Data?

There are no pre-defined parameters to designate who can learn Big Data analytics and who cannot. However, you must be knowing that jobs related to Big Data are a mix of mathematics (statistics) and computer science. Therefore, a person with quantitative aptitude and a basic understanding of computer programming would be aptly suitable to learn Big Data.

To decide whether you should train yourself in Big Data and Hadoop or not, you must understand what constitutes a Big Data job.

To be precise, there is no profound job description for this. It is basically a disparate array of positions up and down and across an organization that needs data savvy professionals who can manage, process and draw meaningful insights from the stream of data being accumulated in the organization.

Many Big Data and Hadoop courses require learners to have experience in Java or basic knowledge of C++, Python, and Linux. However, it is not a rule set in stone.

Don’t have any idea of Java or Linux? No worries, you can still dig your hands on Big Data and Hadoop.

In general, Big Data analytics courses are designed for System Engineers, Software Developers, Architects, Data Storage Managers, Project Managers, BI Professionals and Testing Professionals.

Prerequisites for Learning Hadoop

Hadoop is written in Java and it runs on Linux. Therefore, it is quite imperative that a person who wants to learn Hadoop must have the knowledge of Java and should be familiar with the commands in Linux.

Having said that, let me stick to what I have said earlier; there are no strict prerequisites to learn Hadoop. Hadoop is just one of the frameworks used in Big Data. And of course, it is being used a lot. And yes, it can be safely termed as one of the integral parts of Big Data. But there are several different tools and technologies besides Hadoop that are used to manage and analyze Big Data.

Tools such as Hive and Pig that are built on top of Hadoop, do not require familiarity with Java and offer their own high-level languages for working with data which are then automatically converted into MapReduce programs in Java.

However, it is always advantageous to know the basic concepts of Java and Linux as it helps in mastering the skills better. Knowledge ofSQL is helpful for learning Hadoop because Hive, Pig, Hbase, all of these depend on query language which is inspired by SQL.

Different training providers state different prerequisites depending on the course module, its scope, and the structure.

To spell it in strict terms, the prerequisites to learn Big Data and Hadoop are:

Mathematical aptitude

Holistic understanding of computer architecture, networks, file system, distributed computer organization, data integration techniques

Ability to statistically analyze information

Understanding of the field and the market for which the Big Data and Hadoop service is required

It will be unfair to declare who can and who cannot work with Big Data and Hadoop, or in that case with any Big Data technology. It is a happening field which is emerging every day and most of us can lay our hands and contribute towards its growth and development.