Every time people buy a book from Amazon, log into social media, or open the fridge to get a glass of milk, they also create a little bit of information about their behaviour, preferences, and overall identity. When all of this information is collected, the result is big data. Turning these numbers into useful knowledge is the responsibility of the big data analyst, who needs to have the critical and creative know-how to collect, evaluate, and interpret information.

For tomorrow’s big data analysts, apps and algorithms will still take care of the huge number of calculations that regular humans are unable to make at the same speed or accuracy. The analyst’s job will be to figure out what’s interesting in the infor-mation, put the pieces together and draw insightful conclusions. In 2030, the biggest changes in this profession relate to the roles that they play in a variety of organiza-tions. They are increasingly important members of business operation teams, along-side accountants, strategists and business executives. In government, big data ana-lysts are increasingly influential over public policy—where they can effectively edu-cate political leaders.

You’ll need to enjoy making big and complex ideas sound simple for easy under-standing. Some training in math, economics, statistics or computer sciences is a must, but you’ll also need to understand people and culture, so a minor in sociology, psychology or literature could be a big advantage. You’ll need to enjoy making big and complex ideas sound simple for easy understanding
Image Credit Leonardo Rizzi http://www.imcreator.com/free/occupations/datacenter-work