Part 2: Does Big Data expertise pay? You bet.
In Part 1 of this 2-part series we shared some insight against the complexity of defining “Big Data” initiatives, and the abundance in varying definitions among some of the most respected thought leaders in the industry. However, we were able to identify a very close alignment among the experts respective to what “Big Data” is regardless of the industry:
“An all-encompassing term for any collection of data sets so large and complex that it becomes difficult to process using on hand data management tools or traditional data processing applications.”
For the up and coming IT professionals or even those pros with some experience, addressing the “what” is only half the battle. The challenge for these specialists is to determine “how” the data will be used by each business support group. Regardless of the specialization, this category will continue to grow at an accelerated rate, and the need for IT Professionals of all types are in high demand across all industries.
The question of whether to specialize should be grounded in a love for all things data, complex problem solving, as well as the compensation from both a short and long-term perspective. We’re not able to determine the emotional criteria, but we are able to share benchmarking information against compensation. We’ve culled several sources including CultureFit past placements, Glassdoor, and Datajobs.com to provide estimates by 4 common role categories, and their scope of responsibilities to support big data initiatives.
Four careers in Big Data and what you can expect for salary.
Data Analyst
Scope of responsibilities: Analysis and problem solving as it relates to data, types of data, and relationships among data elements within a business system or IT system.
Short term – Entry Level Salary Range – $50,000 – $75,000
Long term – Experienced Salary Range – $65,000 – $110,000
Data Scientist
Scope of responsibilities: Has the knowledge and skills to conduct sophisticated and systematic analyses of data. A data scientist extracts insights from data sets for product development, and evaluates and identifies strategic opportunities.
Short term – Entry Level Salary Range – a data scientist will typically require higher level education, such as a doctorate or MBA, or deep amount of experience. Often these experts are promoted from a data analyst or other similar position.
Long term – Experienced Salary Range – $85,000 – $170,000
Database Administrators
Scope of responsibilities: Database administration refers to the whole set of activities performed by a database administrator to ensure that a database is always available as needed. Other closely related tasks and roles are database security, database monitoring and troubleshooting, and planning for future growth.
Short term – Entry Level Salary Range – $50,000 – $70,000
Long term – Experienced Salary Range – $70,000 – $120,000
Big Data Engineer Salary
Scope of responsibilities: A mix between a data scientist and engineer, Big Data engineers are a new breed in the technology community. The skills required for Big Data engineering roles aren’t necessarily new things, but they do require a certain level of understanding in a few particular areas for candidates to be successful.
This role is actually a little unique, in that there are several subcategories including, but not limited to:
- Data Engineer
- Software Engineer – Big Data
- Big Data Software Architect
- Hadoop Developer
Short term – Entry Level Salary Range – $60,000 – $80,000
Long term – Experienced Salary Range – $90,000 – $170,000
At CultureFit. We have built relationships with hundreds of candidates and companies, and invested in a recruiting infrastructure and the advanced technologies needed to run it, so finding the right talent for your business can be as easy as searching through our database. So, instead of wasting valuable time and money on the lengthy process of finding potential tech candidates, talk to one of our IT Staffing Professionals at CultureFit
