by Angela Guess
Tony Baer recently wrote an article for ZDnet regarding the current shortage of Data Scientists and how the laws of supply and demand might soon kick in. He writes, “It’s no secret that rocket… err … data scientists are in short supply. The explosion of data and the corresponding explosion of tools, and the knock-on impacts of Moore’s and Metcalfe’s laws, is that there is more data, more connections, and more technology to process it than ever. At last year’s Hadoop World, there was a feeding frenzy for data scientists, which only barely dwarfed demand for the more technically oriented data architects.”
He continues, “Behind all the noise for Hadoop programmers, there’s a similar, but quieter desperate rush to recruit data scientists. While some data scientists call data scientist a buzzword, the need is real. However, data science will be a tougher number to crack. It’s all about connecting the dots, not as easy as it sounds. The V’s of big data – volume, variety, velocity, and value — require someone who discovers insights from data… The variety of Big Data – in form and in sources – introduces an element of the unknown. Deciphering Big Data requires a mix of investigative savvy, communications skills, creativity/artistry, and the ability to think counter-intuitively. And don’t forget it all comes atop a foundation of a solid statistical and machine learning background plus technical knowledge of the tools and programming languages of the trade. Sometimes it seems like we’re looking for Albert Einstein or somebody smarter.”
