The global demand for big data is surging. It will be worth $274 billion within the next two years. It is understandable that many computer science majors are considering pursuing careers in this evolving field. But is it really right for you?
Is the Booming Big Data Field Right for You?
Everyone has heard about Data Science in 2020. But not many people understand what it really is and how it’s going to change the world. It’s a skill that you would want to learn this year considering how its demand is growing. The field might already be too saturated before you can enter the profession. However, this doesn’t mean you should jump right in without any research. First, you should learn how Data Science is relevant to you, whether you will like, and if there are opportunities for you. Let’s start by first understanding what this field is, and then we will discuss why you need to learn it.
Data Science is a field that extracts useful information from loads of structured and unstructured data using algorithms, statistics, and programming. Its primary focus is to use user-generated data to good use. The insights extracted from data are presented to a human in a friendly form, or a computer program uses it to make decisions without any hardcoded instructions.
Sexiest Job of 21st Century
The concept of data science was first introduced in 2001, but it started gaining popularity in 2010. By 2016, everyone wanted to hire a data scientist, and everyone wanted to be a data scientist. It became so popular that Harvard Business Review named it the sexiest job of the 21st century. All that is not just hype. They are also paid greater salaries than most other professions. For example, Facebook pays an average of $134,000 to its data scientists.
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You can rest assured that this skill is not going out of fashion anytime soon. It was, after all, named the sexiest job of the century, not a year or decade. Data science is a foundation that leads to many possibilities. It has a lot of professions linked to it that most of us can’t imagine. With this skill, you can sleep in peace that there won’t be a shortage of jobs and that you will be respected in any workplace you work.
Simple Programming is Not Enough
Software engineering was and still is one of the hottest jobs of this century. Technology evolves very fast, and programming was just a beginning. Today, there are so many programmers working on many technologies that we could never think of a decade ago. One of them is Data Science. Programming is an important part of this field, and it has decreased the value of simple programming.
Today, every programmer has to learn to develop apps that are artificially intelligent. Humans have been using computer programs long enough to understand their limitations. A program can only do what it’s programmed for and can’t make any decisions itself. It’s not possible to hardcode every piece of information into a software. It was important that programs should collect data, analyze it, and make decisions on their own. That’s where the machine learning came to existence.
Data Science is a prerequisite of machine learning. It will help programmers implement complex algorithms into software, enabling it to do unexpected things. Machine learning is not limited to one type of development. Web applications, mobile applications, and all other types of software of today need to be artificially intelligent to survive in this competitive market. A programmer can easily increase his value by getting Data Science Training.
It’s Not Just for IT Professionals
While most people entering Data Science are IT professionals, it doesn’t make this field just for them. One needs three kinds of knowledge and skills to become a data scientist: Mathematics, Statistics, and Programming. There is never any requirement for short courses, and you can take admission in MPhil level of education for this field with any bachelor’s degree that is related to any of the three mentioned subjects.
There are millions of jobs posting for data scientists. Companies offering these jobs are not just IT houses looking for programmers. Different businesses are demanding data scientists that have different backgrounds, and this demand will only increase with time.
Exponentially Growing 2.5 Quintillion Bytes of Data
Over 90% of data today was created in the last two years. Today, there is over 2.5 quintillion Bytes of Data in the world; it’s equal to 2.5 billion gigabytes. Web 2.0 has allowed the user to generate data himself. The pictures we post, the comments we write, data of website we visit, and our online behavior, everything is recorded and stored.
This data is not deleted so it can be put to good use. Every business uses this data to gather useful information. That’s a lot of data for humans to compile. It’s the job of a computer program. Through data science, the process of information extraction has become far easier and will become even easier.
Future of Marketing is Data Science
Many people think that data science is more about creating smart computer programs; it’s a misleading notion. It may be dealing with data, but it doesn’t have a lot to do with databases. Every field is using it to their benefit, even marketing. Data science has made targeted marketing so easy and accurate that businesses now get the best return on every minor investment.
Businesses collect data about their customers, potential customers, and products. This allows them to tailor their products according to the requirements of their target audience. In addition to designing a perfect product, businesses also learn when, where, and how to reach their prospects and convert them to loyal customers. This data also allows them to retain their existing customers.
Make Accurate Business Predictions
The world no longer makes decisions based on just experience. Today’s businessmen believe in data-driven decisions. They analyze the date of the past and extract information to predict the future. Many stock traders also use apps that help them interpret the results of data of months and years to decide their next move.
This same prediction technology is also used by online e-commerce stores. They track user behavior to predict what product they are likely to buy or would be interested in. That’s how Amazon store suggests items that you find most relevant.
Consider Pursuing a Career in Big Data
The big data field is growing rapidly. You may want to consider becoming a data scientist. However, you shouldn’t enter the field just because it seems promising. You need to understand whether it is the right move for you. Take some time to learn more about the nuances of the data scientist profession before making the plunge.