Not Just For Programmers & Math Geeks
Big data will impact almost every job function.
Marketers will be able to harness big data to target the right prospects with the right message, dramatically increasing campaign performance.
Finance Managers will leverage predictive modeling to create dramatically more accurate forecasts and reduce financial risk.
IT Professionals will empower their employees with self-service access to data and reporting capabilities that a few years ago seemed unthinkable.
Those who choose to ignore these trends, do so at their own peril.
Preparing Students for a Big Data Workplace
Though there is a thriving demand for data savvy know-how, our higher education system seems to be slow to adapt to this new world.
Colleges and universities are hardly the most nimble of institutions, which make it a challenge to keep up with the rapidly innovative pace of business.
There are models for success, however.
This past fall, Babson College launched a Business Analytics programs for both undergraduate and graduate students in order to help students acquire the right skills for today’s workplace.
“There is a clear market need for graduates with data and analytics skill sets,” says Babson’s Undergraduate Dean Scott Moore.
The initiative is designed to give students the business analytics skills employers are demanding. So far Babson has heard strong positive feedback for the program from recruiters.
A Corporate Push
Feeling the need for more analytics-focused talent, some technology companies have taken steps to close the skills gap.
IBM has launched an academic partnership program with more than 1,000 universities around the globe, focused on preparing students for a data-driven marketplace. The collaboration has helped universities develop big data and analytics curriculums that include a mix of technical and problem solving skills.
The program includes partnerships with Georgetown University, George Washington University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, University of Missouri, Northwestern University, and many others.
SAS, a big data software platform, helped the University of South Carolina’s Moore School of Business jump start a new analytics initiative, with a similar mission of helping students become comfortable with data-driven decision making.
(Next page: What needs to be done)
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