Big Data learning pathways
You may be interested in developing your Big Data knowledge, skills and capability but choosing which development path to follow can be tricky. To become a Big Data expert you need:
- The knowledge and understanding to identify use cases, to manage effectively and to deliver a quality implementation
- Reasonable skills in Big Data tools as these tend to be very hands-on so you will need a reasonable skill level to understand their capability (even if someone else is doing the building) as well as to operate
Many Big Data tools are open source which means that there has been an explosion of choice http://projects.apache.org/projects.html?category#big-data
Challenges that have to be grappled with
However so much choice is bewildering and the key issue becomes making decisions where there are many “unknown unknowns – the ones we don't know we don't know”.
Issues that tend to quickly surface include:
- What is all this stuff and how does it fit together ?
- What tools do I need to focus on ?
- How much do I really need to know ?
Choosing a learning pathway
Once you have decided on your tool of choice you should consider how best to learn all about it. There are a number of routes you can choose.
I have consolidated my experience of different personal learning options below and hope it helps your choice given:
- Your training needs and skill levels
- Your employer’s Big Data objectives
- Training budgets
- Existing vendor partnerships that you may be able to leverage
A learning pathway that I have found most useful is the “money cannot buy” solution of working with leading training partners who choose instructors that are industry practitioners. Days in the classroom with such folk can give you priceless insights distilled from their years of experience and Big Data pain that you are unlikely to get through other means.
Whatever your choice good luck !
