How to Become a Hadoop Developer?

What Is Hadoop?

But first, the fundamentals. According to the developer’s website, “The Apache Hadoop software library is a framework that allows for the distributed processing of huge data sets across clusters of computers using simple programming models. It is designed to scale up from single servers to thousands of machines, each offering local computation and storage.”

It’s an open-source collection of software utilities designed to work across a network of computers to solve problems that are associated with enormous quantities of data and computation. In other words, it’s a perfect tool for handling the glut of information stemming from Big Data and creating workable strategies and solutions based on that data.

What Does a Hadoop Developer Do?

A Hadoop Developer takes care of the coding and programming of Hadoop applications, in the context of Big Data. The position is similar to that of a Software Developer. Other occupations that are commonly associated with Hadoop Developer are Big Data Developer, Big Data Engineer, Hadoop Architect, Hadoop Engineer, Hadoop Lead Developer.

What Skills Does a Good Hadoop Developer Need?

A good Hadoop Developer has a particular set of skills at their disposal, though businesses and organizations may place greater or lesser emphasis on any of the below-mentioned skills. Here is a list of skills that Hadoop Developers should know. But you don’t have to be a master in EVERY single one of them!

• Mandatory Knowledge of Hadoop and its appropriate components (e.g., HBase, Pig, Hive, Sqoop, Flume, Oozie, etc.)
• A good understanding of back-end programming, with an emphasis on Java, JS, Node.js, and OOAD
• A talent for writing code that is high-performing, reliable, and maintainable
• The ability to write MapReduce jobs and Pig Latin scripts
• Exhibit strong working knowledge of SQL, database structures, theories, principles, and practices. 
• Should have working experience in HiveQL.
• Possess excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, especially in the context of the Big Data domain.
• Have a useful aptitude in the concepts of multi-threading and concurrency.

What Are the Responsibilities of a Hadoop Developer?

Now that we know what kind of skills it takes to be a Hadoop Developer, what exactly do they do? A Hadoop Developer will be expected to:

• Take responsibility for the design, development, architecture, and documentation of all Hadoop applications
• Take charge of installing, configuring, and supporting Hadoop
• Manage Hadoop jobs by using a scheduler
• Write MapReduce coding for Hadoop clusters as well help to build new Hadoop clusters
• Convert complex techniques and functional requirements into the detailed designs
• Design web applications for querying data and swift data tracking, all to be conducted at higher speeds
• Propose the best practices and standards for the organization, then handover to the operations
• Perform software prototype testing and oversee the subsequent transfer to the operational team
• Pre-process data by using Pig and Hive
• Maintain company data security and privacy of Hadoop clusters
• Manage and deploy HBase
• Perform large data stores analyses and derive insights from them
  

That’s a lot of responsibility, which inevitably brings up the question of how much a Hadoop Developer gets paid, so-

What Kind of Compensation Does a Hadoop Developer Get?

When it comes to Big Data job postings, Hadoop is at the top of the heap. According to Dice, Hadoop professionals earned an average annual salary of $108,000 in 2013, which is just a bit more than the $106,500 average for Big Data jobs that don’t include Hadoop. ZipRecruiter shows an average of $112,000 for an entry-level Big Data Hadoop Developer.

Indeed has a salary range for Hadoop-related jobs that goes as low as $63,400 a year for an Administrator, up to $141,000 for a Software Architect.

Bear in mind, that’s the averages for those positions, which means there are Software Architects out there that are making MORE than $141,000 a year. Not bad!

So with that kind of incentive, the next question naturally becomes -

How to Become a Hadoop Developer?

And here we have the whole crux of the article. How do you become a Hadoop Developer, anyway? Surely it has to be a tough profession to get into, considering the kind of salaries we’re talking about, right?

Not necessarily.

First off, in terms of education, you don’t need a degree in Computer Science to become a Hadoop Developer. Any related degree in subjects like Analytics, Electronics, or Statistics will do fine. You can theoretically have any degree (Journalism, Art History, Medieval Basket-Weaving). However, your degree should have at least some kind of relevance to the vast world of IT.

Next, ensure you have an understanding of some of the skill sets listed above. You can acquire these skills through independent study (books, Internet, videos), or through taking actual classes. Naturally, getting familiar with Hadoop basics is a must. Since it’s an open-source framework, it should be easy to get your hands on it and try it out, which leads us smoothly to the next step.

And that step involves performing tasks that are relevant to Hadoop. In other words, practice makes perfect. That means getting your hands dirty (so to speak) by playing around with data. Get comfortable in decoding, analyzing, and transforming it.

Finally, get some organized training and certification. There a host of resources online to help you, and many companies look for certification in their choice of candidates. Fortunately, you don’t need to look far to find a good training/certification program; all you need to do is keep reading!

Want to begin your career as a Data Engineer? Check out the Data Engineer Training and get certified.

What Is the Future of Hadoop?

According to Allied Market Research, the global Hadoop market will reach $84.6 Billion by 2021. There is an acute shortage of qualified people out there, manifesting itself as a talent gap, with Hadoop coming in fourth in the top 20 top technology skills for Data Scientists

Why is this demand so strong? It’s because companies are finally learning that personalized customer care offers a sharp competitive edge. Consumers want the right product at a reasonable price, yes, but they also want to feel important and have the sense that their needs are met.

How does a company go about trying to figure out what people want? By conducting marketing research, of course! And marketing research means reams of Big Data flooding their digital marketing departments. What processes Big Data efficiently? Hadoop does! By processing that data into actionable content, a company can target consumers and give each a personalized experience. The businesses that can implement this strategy will be the ones that rise to the top of the pile.

That's why the demand for Hadoop Developers is so high and will only go higher. Businesses need people who can use Hadoop to sift through all of that data and come up with excellent promotions, ideas, and policies to bring customers to their door. That’s the way business is done today; fail to do so, and your company will go extinct.

It’s a safe bet that if you want to get into a field that has lots of opportunities, you want to go with Hadoop Developer. If you’re already a developer, you should seriously consider upskilling to include Hadoop in your bag of tricks. The certification makes you a more marketable candidate for promotion, or if you choose to leave your current workplace for greener pastures, it helps you to stand out from the other applicants.

What Is the Best Available Hadoop Training?

So if you’ve decided that you want to learn Hadoop and take your place in this high-demand, rewarding career, then Simplilearn has just what you need! The Big Data Hadoop Training Course teaches you how to master the concepts of Hadoop’s framework. The course also helps you get ready for Cloudera’s CCA175 Hadoop Certification Exam. You will learn how the various components of Hadoop’s ecosystem fit into the Big Data processing lifecycle.

You can take up self-paced learning, a blended learning program, or the advantage of the corporate training solution (ideal for upskilling existing employees). Students receive training on Yarn, MapReduce, Pig, Hive, Impala, HBase, and Apache Spark, while participating in real-life industry projects in banking, social media, insurance, and e-commerce. After the course, you will receive your completion certificate and help in getting ready for the Hadoop Certification Exam.

Check out Simplilearn today and take that first important step into a new career!