We’ve written frequently about the demand for IT workers with the ability to manage and analyse big data projects, and that often leads to the question: how can you qualify for that kind of work? One possibility worth considering: qualify in chemistry or engineering rather than IT itself.
Chemistry picture from Shutterstock
That idea comes from Joe Stanhope, chief strategy officer at SDL, which specialises in campaign management and analytics and thus has an interest in acquiring plenty of staff with big data experience. Speaking at a media luncheon in Sydney, Stanhope said that while there was a tendency to hire PhDs with a deep specialty in analytics, that wasn’t always the best solution.
One strategy he suggested was hiring recent graduates from chemistry or engineering. Those graduates had experience in analysing complex data and were comfortable using computer systems; the main requirement was to teach them the specifics of a particular business. And since that last step is a requirement in virtually any industry, that might represent a second potential stream of big data workers.
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2 responses to “Thinking Of A Big Data Career? Try Training In Chemistry”
I’m 95% of the way through a Computer Systems Engineering degree and I work at a scientific research facility. I guess that’s good news for me.
They look like biotech or microbiology students.
They look like a bunch of stock photography models.