Is BIG data the next big “boom” sector in IT?
It has been said (quite accurately in fact), that “If you want to see what future changes are coming your way, you need only look to Wall Street”. This doesn’t imply that technologies are being built there, of course, but that it is these insiders who are among the first to see the demand for certain specialties increasing. One of the areas in which demand has been increasing very rapidly these days is in the database sector. In a nutshell, big financial firms are on the lookout for all manner of IT specialist, particularly those who can handle BIG data. However, the demand isn’t simply relegated to storage concerns; we’re seeing increased calls for technically proficient employees across the board (Java, Python, SQL, Cloud, and a host of others).
What’s the one thing that virtually all the aforementioned areas have in common? That’s right; they have direct ties to increased demand for database specialists. However, one has to wonder what’s actually driving this, correct? Simply put, BIG data has emerged in a very big way and is creating waves throughout all sectors of IT and beyond.
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BIG data is both a problem and an opportunity; it’s basically something that absolutely must be addressed ASAP simply because of the ongoing explosion of massive amounts of data. This infographic from visualnews.com perfectly demonstrates why BIG data is becoming somewhat troublesome and why there will likely be some great career opportunities coming online over the next few years.
From the same infographic:
Every minute of every day –
571 new websites are created
Youtube users upload 48 hours of video
2,000,000 Google searches are performed
Over 200, 000, 000 emails are sent
100,000 tweets go out
Over 650,000 new items are shared via Facebook
Over $250,000 of web sales are tallied
Etc…
The point is, the floodgates of data are open and information is pouring out from every direction imaginable. In the tech and IT communities, the goal isn’t to try and limit this stream, it’s to find better ways to manage and analyze it. Additionally, the aforementioned figures are projected to increase exponentially on an annual basis, so if suitable means for managing BIG data are not reached, major problems will arise as a result. Naturally, this realization translates into increased job demand from companies all across the board.
If you can imagine the constant stream of data as a type of limitless natural resource, it becomes clear that there is inherent value to all of this content. Perhaps a better question to ask is why haven’t more institutions made bolder steps toward tacking the BIG data problem sooner? Nevertheless, the time for tackling these issues is now and companies are investing heavily in IT personnel who have the skills which might allow them to navigate database problems and deal with BIG data issues.
Businesses are increasingly coming to the realization that IT isn’t just something that is supposed to ensure technical operations, but that it can actually drive growth and even lead in some cases. In high-frequency trading (this has become the standard mode of operation on Wall Street), the success or failure of firms’ stock or trading activities on any given day are largely dependent on the duties performed by their hardware and algorithms.
The point is, we’re seeing the value of technical skills and operations increasing in multiple sectors in many different ways, with no end in sight. For a business to be able to jump even a few “inches” ahead of the competition (from a technological standpoint) is considered a major win these days and often leads to increased gains, or at the very least, helps to avoid major risks.
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However, it isn’t necessarily businesses which are driving the demand for BIG data specialists in IT as much as it is the simple fact that extremely large pools of data are continuously created on a daily basis. In other words, the demand for careerists specializing in BIG data is a direct response to the natural tendencies of the consumer population at large. Or to put it another way, some IT professionals are going to need to shift into BIG data in order to deal with the challenges it poses to infrastructure as well as modern business practices.