Employers

Big data developers work for a wide range of companies—from Amazon, Google, and Netflix, to Capital One, General Electric, Starbucks, and T-Mobile. They’re also employed by nonprofits, government agencies, and data analytics consulting firms.

Starting Out

Many people land their first jobs in the field after completing an internship or co-op educational experience while in college. Others learn more about job openings via their college’s career services office, by working with recruiters (such as Burtch Works), by contacting companies directly about job openings, by attending career fairs and other networking events, and by creating a profile on LinkedIn and following big data companies and joining data science/analytics groups. Additionally, Burtch Works offers a wealth of articles on interviewing, the job search, and negotiating salary at its Web site, https://www.burtchworks.com/big-data-analyst-salary/data-scientist-career-path.

Advancement opportunities vary by profession, but any big data developer who works hard and obtains industry certifications has a good chance of being promoted.

One example of a typical advancement path is for data processing technician, who with experience, certification, and additional education, can advance to the position of data analyst, and then to big data engineer or scientist. Highly skilled big data developers with significant expertise and strong managerial skills can be promoted to the position of director of data analytics. Others may become chief data officers, who oversee the data analytics/management functions of their entire organization. Fifty-eight percent of respondents in the Forrester Analytics Global Business Technographics® Data and Analytics Survey, 2019 said that their organizations had created a chief data officer position. An additional 26 percent of respondents planned to do so.

Some people open their own consulting firms or teach data science or analytics courses at colleges and universities.

Search for job openings at the following Web sites:

• https://jobs.tdwi.org
• https://jobs.computer.org
• https://www.analytictalent.datasciencecentral.com
• http://jobs.burtchworks.com
• https://www.mathjobs.org/jobs
• http://jobs.acm.org     
• https://icrunchdata.com/jobs
• https://www.cybercareers.gov/job-seeker
• https://www.dice.com

Get certified. It will give you an edge over other job applicants.

Become active in your school computer club or local technology groups.