Every day, the world creates 2.5 quintillion bytes of data.1 That’s 2,500,000,000,000,000,000 bytes of new data being added to the nearly immeasurable amount of data already out there, which is why all this data is cumulatively known as big data. But what does having all this data mean for us? And what can we do with it?
Big data analytics is answering those questions and revolutionizing how we perceive the world. Whether you’re thinking about going into data analytics—or have any kind of information technology or computer science job—you can help your career by gaining a better understanding of how big data is impacting modern life, business, and governance.
Data Is Coming From Everywhere
We live incredibly connected lives. Much of our lives are captured and stored as data, from the pictures in our phones to the numbers in our bank accounts to the documents on our laptops. And that’s just the beginning. If you have any kind of internet-connected device in your home (a security system, a TV, a DVD player, etc.), you’re creating data that’s being transmitted and collected. On top of that, your employer is almost surely using computers and the internet to conduct all or part of their business. When you consider how many people and businesses there are in the world—and you consider all the ways they are creating data—you can see why data is growing so rapidly.
Big Data Is Revolutionizing How We Think About and Manage Complex Systems
One of the most significant advantages of big data is that it allows us to collect and organize vast amounts of information. With this information, we can uncover previously unseen patterns that can, in turn, help us improve the way we live, do business, and govern. Some of the ways organizations can use big data and data analysis include the following:
- Retail stores can closely track and analyze sales, learning what sells best and when, what shelving methods work best, and what prices motivate what consumers. Taken together, this data can improve efficiency and sales.
- Medical researchers can analyze the correlations between thousands of diseases and biological and behavioral variables to uncover new connections between illnesses and their associated risk factors, leading to better screening, earlier detection of disease, and stronger preventative medicine.
- Law enforcement can meld crime data with data on economic conditions, healthcare, and even weather patterns to better understand when and where crime arises. This can allow for more effective policing and can help create safer communities.
Not All Data Is Created Equally
When you’re dealing with huge amounts of data, you have to be able to separate out the useful bits from the general noise. That requires serious skill, whether you’re designing software that can sort the data or interpreting data that has already been sorted. Organizations already have plenty of raw data. What they need is people who can help create rich data. Think of it like mining. Rich data is the pure ore you can extract. But that takes time and expertise.
Organizations Need People Capable of Working With Big Data
The explosion of available data coupled with the increasing importance and usefulness of data analytics is creating a skills gap. Experts estimate that as many as 85% of Fortune 500 companies fail to make effective use of the data they have access to.2 As such, people with big data experience are in high demand. Employment of computer and information research scientists is predicted to grow 22% between 2020 and 2030, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.3 If you’re a database administrator, computer programmer, software engineer/software developer, system analyst, or chief information officer, big data experience can lead to big successes in your career.
Master Data Analytics Through Online Courses
If you lack big data experience or expertise, you can gain both by advancing your education online. You can develop essential programming, networking, and data analysis skills through professional development courses, enhancing your overall information technology know-how.
Best of all, gaining new skills and knowledge no longer requires driving to a campus or sitting through classes at times that interfere with your job or other responsibilities. Instead, you can take data science and technology courses online. When you take courses through an online university, you can complete your coursework from home and on a flexible schedule. This can allow you to continue working full time, which is why online education is so popular among working adults.
Big data is changing the world. You can be a part of it when you advance your education with Walden.
Walden University is an accredited institution offering online courses for credit, professional development courses, and tailored employer training programs through its School of Lifelong Learning. Degree seekers may wish to explore Walden’s suite of online degree programs, offered at the bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral level. Learn new skills in a convenient, flexible format that fits your busy life.
1https://www-01.ibm.com/software/data/bigdata/what-is-big-data.html
2www.techradar.com/news/world-of-tech/future-tech/5-things-you-need-to-know-about-big-data-1290575
3www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/computer-and-information-research-scientists.htm#tab-1
