The skills a data professional needs

We find ourselves data professional in an era in which data has become an organization’s most valuable resource.

Due to technological innovation and the advancement of digitalization in businesses and society in general, the volume of data generated daily has increased considerably. This is why the profiles of data professionals are crucial in the current context.

In fact, according to European data professional Commission forecasts, 75% of European companies will have implemented Big Data processes by 2030, and their investment will increase significantly.

But data collection alone cannot achieve optimal results; it’s necessary to maximize the benefits. This factor has led to an increase in demand for data professionals, data scientists , who know how to manage large volumes of data and unify all the information, since it can be obtained from various sources or located in different locations: in the cloud, on-premise, structured, or unstructured.

These profiles help generate insights and predictions, optimize decision-making, and efficiently monetize business activity. Proof of this is that the data analyst profile was the second most data professional in-demand profession last year, according to Randstad’s annual report.

But what skills does a Big Data professional need today?

First of all, to manage different databases and perform in-depth analysis, it is important to have training in different areas such as:

• Programming languages. SQL is one of the main languages ​​for managing and downloading information from a database, so it’s essential to know it so you can perform mobile database queries on common databases in Big Data environments. On the other hand, languages ​​like Python or Scala , among others, offer the tools to analyze data stored in Data Lakes, so it’s also essential to know them.
• Apache Spark and Apache Flink are two open source projects for distributed data processing and are the most widely used tools.
• Data mining . Identifying patterns to improve business operations is one of the benefits of data mining training.
• Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. The emergence of AI and generative tools like ChatGPT must put these data professionals on alert, as they must stay abreast of the latest industry trends.
• Quantitative analysis . As we explained before, collecting data is only part of a Big Data expert’s role. Analytical skills will allow them to identify patterns and trends within the data they handle.

However, it’s important not to focus solely on technical knowledge. In an age where speed and communication are vital, so-called soft skills are equally important for this type of profile:

1. Analytical thinking: Breaking down the task into simpler parts allows you to evaluate different situations and gain insight into the problem from different angles to find a solution. Analytical thinking will help Big Data professionals manage and analyze information efficiently, as well as identify patterns and relationships between data to discover new business opportunities.
2. Effective communication: Experts in this sector work with many departments and business areas, so it’s essential that they are able to communicate their ideas and findings clearly and concisely to other team members to achieve a much more effective and productive process.
3. Teamwork: As mentioned google also funds initiatives above, this professional works with numerous departments to analyze information, so it is necessary to have certain social skills that allow them to manage teamwork so that.
4. Creativity: When it comes to data visualization, this soft skill is crucial, as it requires developing new ways of communicating this information to users in a simpler way, so that users who are not proficient in data analysis can understand this valuable information. Furthermore, the results are often visually represented search engine optimization united states america with interactive charts and maps so that the entire organization can understand the value of the data. To complement this soft skill, it’s helpful to master tools such as Seaborn, Plotly, or Folium .

The challenges of data professionals

The Big Data sector is evolving rapidly, and many companies already have hybrid infrastructures (cloud and on-premises) to handle large data sets. There is an increasing need for qualified and specialized data professionals to perform these functions based on cloud management software such as Cloudera, Google Cloud, AWS, Azure, and Oracle.