Reading Time: 6 minutesAre you wondering what the buzz about big data is? Should you make a transition to a career in big data analytics? Well, whether you are already in data analytics or IT, you have come to the right place. As the buzz around big data gathers momentum, more and more professionals are gearing up to improve their employable skills in big data analytics.
Why so, you may wonder.
It is a data-driven world today where more and more businesses are implementing analytics in a big data ecosystem. A Gartner survey shows that more than 75 % of businesses are investing in big data. Whether it is the banking and financial industry, insurance, eCommerce, health sector or travel, all of these are grappling with voluminous data in real-time. Making sense of this data is the domain of the big data analyst.
As the always-connected environment in everyday life gains traction with more and more connected devices, data is generated in huge volumes at great speeds in real-time. Big data analytics has emerged as a leading disruptor in most sectors, powering data-driven insights for transforming customer experiences. Big data is here to stay, and the best way to carve a high-paid salary in analytics is by walking the big data path!
Why is there a need for Big Data Analytics skills?
With the rapid implementation of data analytics in critical business operations and decision making, there has been an increase in the demand for big data experts among other analytics professionals. Individuals with the right set of Big Data analytics skills will have an immense opportunity to pursue a rewarding career in analytics across industries
Source: RHT’s Salary Guide, 2019
For some organizations, big data analytics plays a vital role in decision making. Other areas of application include customer relationship, enabling key strategic initiatives, risk management, and improved financial performance among others.
The soaring demand for big data analytics professionals shows that the market is ready for such technologies. The growth in job opportunities against a lack of supply has created a gap that needs to be filled by skilled professionals and organizations are not shying away from highly rewarding the professionals with the right mix of big data analytics skills.
Read Also: What Your Boss Wants You to Know About Big Data Analytics
According to the latest industry reports, big data analytics salaries are at an all-time high and expected to get better. Entry-level salaries begin at Rs 7.5 lakhs p.a. and go up to Rs 12.10 lakhs p.a. at the senior levels. According to an Edvancer-AIM study on analytics career scope, the median salaries offered are Rs 10.5 lakhs p.a, while 40% of advertised analytics jobs offer salaries of more than Rs 10 lakhs p.a. The percentage by hiring across tools and skills records the highest for R statistical tool at 36 %, followed by Python at 30%; and Hadoop and SAS at 20% each.
At the same time, it is about your data analysis competency and logical reasoning. The more you learn the technical and open source frameworks dedicated to handling big data analytics, the better is your chance to get a salary that you have always dreamed of.
There are multiple job roles that require professionals adept with data analytics skills in demand. If seen from the career point of view, there are a lot of opportunities for big data professionals in different domains and type of work.
Here are the top five big data analytics skills that will likely boost your salary:
The top 5 skills you need to learn to excel in your big data analytics career are:
– Apache Hadoop
– Apache Spark
– Machine Learning and Data Mining
– NoSQL
– Statistical Tools
All these skills are explained below in detail.
1. Apache Hadoop
The Apache Hadoop is an open-source project that allows fast processing and insights into huge volumes of structured and unstructured data. The Hadoop has emerged as the driving force behind the growth of big data analytics, with spin-offs in a BI environment. The powerful big data platform offers the Hadoop expert the ability to leverage the central elements of the Hadoop stack for deep and fast analytics. So learning the Hadoop framework, together with the underpinning programming models, such as the Map Reduce, Hive, Pig, and HBase is critical to earning analytical brownies in big data analytics.
2. Apache Spark
In-memory computing enables high-performance algorithms for faster processing. The capability of end-to-end insights in real-time with sophisticated ‘what if’ simulations, has seen increased adoption of Apache Spark by big data practitioners. As mastering the Spark is considered a challenge for many analysts, the professional who is equipped with skills in Apache Spark is sure to command a salary on his terms.
3. Machine Learning and Data Mining
Machine learning is an AI technology that powers big data analytics by learning rules iteratively for improved analytics. Getting trained in machine learning algorithms and rule defining for spotting anomalies and patterns is a popular demand in sectors like banking, finance, and trading. The ability to build predictive analytics in a big data engine for personalized customer experience is a highly sought-after skill.
Read Also: How Big is the Scope of Big Data in India
Data mining is a technique that integrates structured and unstructured data from multiple disparate channels for big data analytics. It can pull any data, including social media, for a 360-degree view of the customer. If you are armed with the skills of data mining, you can bring value to a business. In turn, you can demand the top salary for your data mining skills.
4. NoSQL
Distributed, scale-out NoSQL powered databases continue to be the rage. NoSQL database skills power big data analytics from huge data, with quick iterations and coding. Its many advantages over the traditional RDBMS have pushed NoSQL to the forefront. The distributed architecture of NoSQL framework allows high-performance big data analytics at massive scale, making it almost indispensable in recent times. So the analytics professional armed with working knowledge of one or more NoSQL databases can certainly boost his salary.
5. Statistical Tools
The power of statistical reasoning cannot be underestimated, especially for analytics presentations for businesses. Statistical tools like R, SAS, Matlab, SPSS, or Stata are long-time favoured tools for enterprise big data analytics. Analytical tasks with massive data can be handled with ease, such as coding with social media analytics; data mining, clustering, and regression models. The advantage of R as an open-source model lends its ability to be paired with other technologies and big data products. The statistical tools are a great learning curve for those who want to work as quants, or in the field of retail, insurance or market research.
How to develop big data skills?
After knowing everything about the scope of big data, the available job roles and the most useful tools to learn, the most important question that arises is how to learn all the skills needed to become a successful big data analytics professional. Professionals need to carve out a clear cut roadmap for themselves and follow it ardently.
Along with the technical skills, certain business skills need to be learnt too, which include:
Other skills that would help professionals to perform better in their respective roles are:
– Data Visualization skills
– Analytical Skills
– Programming Knowledge
All these skills are explained below in detail.
Data Visualization skills: The ability to correctly interpret data by visualizing it is crucial. A certain understanding of scientific and mathematical concepts gives an edge to better interpret the data and communicate it to stakeholders. The sense of creativity while visualizing data is an added advantage.
Analytical Skills: Having a strong knowledge of analytics tools is great but being familiar with the business domain is beneficial for analytics professionals to better understand the data and analyse it accurately keeping in mind the end goal and vision.
Read Also: Use of Big Data Analytics in Everyday Life
Programming Knowledge: The ability to code along with statistical and quantitative analysis is an important skill in the realm of big data analytics. A fair knowledge of object-oriented languages, data structures, and algorithms go a long way.
The best way to learn big data analytics skills is to upskill with relevant programs provided by reputed ed-tech firms like Great Learning.
In the race to secure the best salary in big data analytics jobs, single skill development is not enough. Each of the above skills has its own merits. So plan a gradual scale-up of big data analytics learning, with all the five skills, to fetch you a good analytics position. The salary package and career graph in the big data analytics landscape have never been better! So go ahead, and arm yourself with the necessary technical skills. Learn big data with big data certification and online training programmes on-the-go, together with your studies or present job. Get trained on the most relevant big data analytics tools that best fit your career trajectory. Strengthen your analytical skills in a big data environment with suitable weekend programmes, and domain-based management skills for that salary package booster. So if you are a student or analytics newbie, there is no time like the present.
